


Strange Love

by arandomfan91



Category: Mortal Instruments Series - Cassandra Clare, Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Human, Drunk Sex, Eventual Smut, F/M, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Pining, Smut
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-04
Updated: 2016-07-31
Packaged: 2018-05-30 14:40:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 17
Words: 46,632
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6428092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/arandomfan91/pseuds/arandomfan91
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alec is in love with Magnus. Magnus needs Alec to be his fake boyfriend. What could possibly go wrong?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Another multi-chapter Malec fic! Yay!!! I'm currently wrapping up my other fic, Something Changed, so if you haven't read it yet, you should check it out! You can also follow me on tumblr at rafaellightwood-bane.

~ _That's the beauty of a secret. You know you're supposed to keep it_ ~  
Halsey - Strange Love

“I need you to be my boyfriend.”

Alec choked on his diet coke when he heard those entirely unexpected words come from his best friend’s mouth. Magnus had knocked on Alec’s door promptly at 6 o’clock, the same time he came to Alec’s door every day to hang out after work. Except, this time, he had dragged him out of his apartment and to their favorite diner down the street, claiming he was going to treat him to dinner. Alec thought he was acting a bit weird, but had just brushed it off as Magnus being Magnus… until now. Now, it all made sense… and didn’t make any sense at all.

“Come again?” Alec asked when he finally caught his breath, his voice raspy from all the soda now resting in his lungs.

“I’ve thought over every option and I literally have nothing else I can do. No one else could be as convincing as you. You know me better than anyone and I panicked and I just desperately need your help, please please pleaseeeee, Alexander,” Magnus pleaded, giving Alec his trademark puppy eyes.

“I literally have no idea what is happening here… and stop giving me that look,” Alec grumbled in confusion.

Alec had dreamed of hearing those words from Magnus since about a week after they first met, which was now almost five years ago. They had met during orientation week of their freshman year at NYU. Magnus had picked Alec out of the crowd and stuck by his side the entire week, claiming he needed some good arm candy and that they were destined to be the best of friends. And he hadn’t been wrong.

Where Alec was shy and reserved, Magnus was coy and outgoing. Magnus dragged Alec along to all the best parties (as well as threw plenty of his own). He forced Alec out of his tiny bubble and to interact with others and make friends. They shared the same blunt sense of humor and Alec was always there to get Magnus out of trouble. Alec helped Magnus study for his courses and reassured him of how amazing he was (no one would ever guess by looking at him, but Magnus was actually really insecure and doubted himself a lot- a fact that completely threw Alec for a loop when he realized it a year into their friendship). So he had made it his mission in life to make sure Magnus knew how wonderful he was. And Magnus was always ready to return the favor with his own slew of compliments toward Alec. They balanced one another perfectly in every way.

With Alec came Jace, his best friend since childhood. They had made a pact when they were ten-years-old to always stick together, so they were thrilled when they were both accepted to NYU, Alec attending for business and Jace for physical therapy. And with Magnus came his three best friends Ragnor, Catarina and Clary, who brought her childhood best friend Simon, who brought his boyfriend Raphael (who instantly became best friends with Ragnor and, together, loved to tease Magnus, much to his chagrin).

Together, the eight of them became the best of friends, completely inseparable during college and beyond. They had been out of school for over a year now and were still all extremely close, emotionally and distance-wise. Magnus and Alec lived in the same apartment complex, right next door to one another, while Simon and Raphael lived together three blocks down. Jace and Clary had recently started dating, as well, and were thinking about moving in together. If they made the jump, Clary would move into Jace’s place, which was another three blocks away from Alec and Magnus in the opposite direction from Simon and Raphael’s. And Ragnor and Catarina lived in the same apartment complex just two subway stops away from them all. Some would say that the group was co-dependent on one another, but really they were just super close, like family.

But Alec and Magnus, despite how close they were, had never crossed into this territory before. Of course, Alec wanted to. God, how he wanted to. But Magnus was his best friend, and Alec was shy and also completely terrified of losing his best friend over unrequited feelings. So he had stood by and watched as Magnus dated Camille. And Etta. And Imasu. And Axel (god, that one had been a nightmare). And he had helped Magnus nurse a broken heart time and time again. He was always there, and his heart always broke in turn as he watched Magnus fall in love, then fall apart.

Of course, Magnus hadn’t even known Alec was gay, at first. No one had. Alec was deep, deep in the closet when they first met, and Magnus’ openness had been absolutely terrifying to him at the time. Magnus was so out and proud of who he was. He was “not shy about being bi” according to the many bedazzled t-shirts he owned. But, in the end, it was Magnus who inadvertently convinced Alec that it wouldn’t be the end of the world if he came out, and that his friends might actually celebrate that which made him different, much as they did for Magnus.

So he told his sister, Izzy, who had already figured it out. And then he told Jace, who had also already figured it out. And then he told the rest of his friends over drinks one night, and received nothing but love and support. And he thought, maybe, _maybe_ things might change between him and Magnus now.

And for a few weeks after coming out, Alec thought maybe something had shifted, that something actually _had_ changed between them. That the touches and looks between them lingered longer than usual, that there was an unspoken energy sparking between them. And then Axel happened. And nothing had changed between them after all, except that their friends now seemed to be able to read between the lines and see the heartbreak in Alec’s eyes every time Magnus dated someone new. Everyone saw the truth except for Magnus, who continued to date everyone except for Alec.

Which is why Magnus’ declaration that he wanted Alec to be his boyfriend made absolutely no sense. Alec had to have misheard or misunderstood or _something._

“Just, slow down. Start from the beginning,” Alec said, staring across the diner table at Magnus and reaching out to rest a calming hand on Magnus’ shoulder.

“Right. The beginning. Ok, so there’s this guy at work, Craig, who was hitting on me and I’m not interested in him like, at all, and I kept telling him that and he just wasn’t listening, so finally I told him I had a boyfriend so he would just leave me alone. But he totally called my bluff and was like, ‘Oh yeah? Who? How come I’ve never heard about him?’ So I was like, ‘Ok, I have to give him a name so he’ll back off. But it has to be someone I’ve talked about before.’ And then, duh- that’s you. So I told him I was dating you, and he totally bought it and finally backed off. But then he told someone else, who told someone else, who told someone else… you know how the fashion industry is, darling; everybody talks, news travels fast. And then, everyone started exchanging money because apparently they had all been betting on how long it would take for us to start dating, which, _what_? But anyway, my boss, Marie, found out and told me to bring you to my next runway event because it would look good to show that I was in a stable, committed relationship- it would apparently make me look more trustworthy or something, I don’t know, I stopped listening because I was freaking out. And then someone at work called Clary and told _her_ , and then she called me and was squealing and _freaking out_ and she was so excited about it that I just _couldn’t_ lie to her and it all just spiraled so quickly, and this was all before lunch!” Magnus broke off, looking frantically at Alec and gasping for air after that long, drawn out tale.

Alec’s jaw dropped open and he was staring wide-eyed at Magnus in total disbelief. This was one of those things that Alec should have been used to by now after five years of friendship with Magnus, because he always managed to get himself in these crazy situations that Alec had to help get him out of (like the time he had gotten banned from Peru and Alec had to pick him up at customs. Ragnor still wouldn’t talk about that trip). But this one really took the cake.

“You can’t be serious,” Alec said simply, shaking his head in disbelief.

“I’m afraid I am,” Magnus sighed. “So, Alexander Lightwood, would you please do me the honor of being my boyfriend?”

Silence.

“It would mean so much to me. I know I’m an idiot to have gotten into this mess in the first place, but I was desperate, and I just threw out your name and I know I shouldn’t have done that, but it’s _you_.”

Alec couldn’t breathe.

No. He would say no. Absolutely not. There was no way he was going to do this. This was crazy and would only end in heartbreak and it would be torture. ‘NO!!!!’ his mind was screaming at him.

“Please, Alec,” Magnus murmured, softly.

“Yes.” _Wait, what?!_ “I’ll do it.” _Nooooo!_

Alec gasped as Magnus flung himself into his arms, squeezing him tightly in gratitude. “Yay! Thank you, thank you, thank you! You’re the best friend ever!”

Ok. He was doing this. Breathe, Alec. He wrapped his arms around Magnus and breathed him in, grounding himself in the familiar scent of cinnamon and thyme, a scent that was entirely Magnus. God, he was an idiot. But he could never resist Magnus. And that was destined to be his downfall.

 

* * *

 

Alec allowed himself ten minutes of frantically pacing around his apartment and fully freaking out, which involved a lot of jumping up and down and cursing (quietly- He shared a wall with Magnus, after all) before he finally caved and called his sister, Izzy. Izzy was a year younger than him and in her senior year at NYU. She lived off campus with her best friend Maia, and she was the only one in their group of friends who had verbal confirmation from Alec himself about his feelings for Magnus.

“Spill,” Izzy said simply as she answered the phone.

“You heard?!” Alec exclaimed.

“Of course I heard. Everyone’s heard. Someone at Magnus’ work called Clary, who told Jace, who called me. And, seriously Alec?! I can’t believe I had to hear it from Jace and not you! And why don’t you sound more excited? I thought you would be excited!”

“Oh, I would definitely be excited. If it were real.”

“…What are you talking about?”

“It’s fake, Izzy. Magnus asked me to fake-date him and I said yes because I’m a fucking idiot.” Alec groaned and resisted the urge to kick something- just barely. The last thing he needed right now was Magnus barging in (because he had a key, of course) and making sure he was ok.

“Oh, Alec…” Izzy sighed.

“No, stop. Stop that. I’m already agonizing over it enough. I don’t need you pitying me on top of it. It is what it is. I said yes. I have to deal with that. Now I just need you to tell me what to do,” Alec pleaded. Izzy was an expert at dating, while Alec’s only experience with it was what he saw Magnus go through. In other words, he was clueless.

“You need to go back and say no, Alec. This is a horrible idea.”

“I can’t do that,” Alec dismissed.

“Alec, you’ve been in love with Magnus since you met. This is going to break your heart. You either need to come clean, or tell him no,” Izzy persisted.

“No, I can’t do either of those. Izz, Magnus was so happy when I said yes. I can’t go back on my word. It would break his heart.”

“And what about your heart? Why do you never seem to consider your heart?”

“Izzy…” Alec sighed. They’d had this argument several times ever since Magnus came into his life. He appreciated his sister’s concern for him, but she just didn’t understand. He would always put Magnus first. It was just the way it was, and it was the way it would always be.

“Why can’t you just tell him it’s real for you?”

“There’s no way I’m doing that,” Alec insisted.

“Alec…” Izzy sighed.

“I can’t,” Alec choked out. “It would ruin… _everything_.”

“You don’t know that.”

“I do, Izzy. He’s made it very clear through the years that he’s not interested in me like that.”

“Or maybe he just dated all those losers because he thought he couldn’t have who he really wanted,” Izzy argued back.

“Don’t.”

“I’m just saying… ok fine. Whatever. So you’re going to do this. For how long, big brother?”

“I don’t know. A few weeks, maybe? We didn’t really specify.”

Alec heard Izzy sigh down the line, then a few seconds of silence.

“Maybe it will be a good thing? Maybe he’ll be a horrible boyfriend and you can finally move on.”

Alec laughed humorlessly. “Yeah, right.”

“Or maybe he’ll see what a great boyfriend you are and want to make it real.”

“Izz…” Alec groaned.

“I’m just trying to spin this so it’s a good thing,” Izzy explained. “Give me some credit here, Alec. It’s really hard to make this a positive thing.”

“I appreciate that, but I’m seriously freaking out here.”

“I know… I’m sorry. It’s all going to be ok. I promise. I mean, it was dumb of you to say yes. But you’ll be ok. Just a few weeks, right? What could go wrong in a few weeks?”

“I’m afraid to find out,” Alec groaned, then hung up the phone and collapsed back onto his couch in a Magnus-Bane-style dramatic fashion. Alexander Lightwood was truly and utterly fucked.


	2. Chapter 2

Alec didn't even have twenty-four hours to process everything Magnus had thrown at him before he heard from Clary. In hindsight, he probably should have expected to hear from her sooner. Even though he had only ever told Izzy out loud that he was in love with Magnus, Clary still knew- she had an annoying habit of being intuitive and always knowing what was going on with Alec... Alec hated it. They had an unspoken agreement that they would never talk about Alec's feelings for Magnus. But, of course, all bets were off, now.

“Alec! Oh my god, I'm freaking out over here. I can't even believe it. How happy are you right now?!” Clary screamed into the phone the second Alec answered.

“Umm... yeah, excited,” Alec agreed, playing along.

“Of course you are! Jace was so happy when I told him. He was kind of upset he didn't hear it from you, but we get that it's all still new... I mean, it is new, right?”

“Umm... right!” Alec agreed again. “Very new.” Oh god, he was fucked. He and Magnus hadn't even had a chance to lay out a plan yet. What was he supposed to say to their friends? How was he expected to lie to Clary, one of his best friends, who knew him so well?

“So, obviously, we're all dying to hear the story,” Clary carried on. She seemed to be too caught up in her own excitement to notice if Alec sounded off, for which he was grateful. But then he realized what she had just said, and he began to panic. He quietly jumped up and down a few times, silently freaking out.

“We? Who is we?!”

“Me and Jace, of course.”

Alec let out of sigh of relief... until Clary kept on talking.

“Plus Simon, Raphael, Ragnor, and Catarina. We can't wait to hear all the juicy details. This has been _such_ a long time coming.”

Alec felt faint. He couldn't even find his voice to reply but, after a brief pause, Clary carried on.

“So we all agreed that we want to move up drinks at the Sparrow to tomorrow night.”

“Tomorrow,” Alec echoed numbly. His ears were ringing and his vision was starting to go a bit fuzzy. Was this a panic attack? He sat down on the couch, putting his head between his legs. He had read somewhere that that's what you were supposed to do when you thought you might pass out.

“Yeah, I mean I know we usually do drinks on Friday night, but we thought we could push it up a day, because we're just all so excited to hear everything.”

Ok, yeah. Alec was definitely panicking. He thought he would get a few days to adjust to everything before having to fake a relationship in front of all of his friends. But now he only had 24 hours to process and get his story straight and convincingly act like Magnus was his boyfriend, after five years of actively hiding his romantic feelings for his best friend. That wasn't something you could just easily switch on and off. To go from hiding and concealing everything you were feeling to being expected to put it all on display... Alec couldn't breathe.

“Um... yeah. I mean, I guess? If that's what you guys want to do,” Alec stuttered.

“Great! You can let Magnus know, right? Oh, I'm just seriously so happy for you guys.”

“Oh, I'll let him know, all right,” Alec agreed. He was going to kill Magnus Bane.

 

* * *

 

The second Alec hung up with Clary, he ran straight to Magnus' apartment and barged in without knocking.

“You owe me so big,” Alec growled as he slammed the door behind him. “I'm talking my own private island and a yacht made out of gold.”

“I think you overestimate my level of success and fortune, my dear,” Magnus teased from his spot on the couch, then quickly sobered up when he saw the serious expression on Alec's face. “What's wrong?” he asked earnestly, standing and moving to stand in front of Alec.

“Well, first off, you should know that I called Izzy and she knows we're not really dating. But all of our other friends seem to be convinced that we're for real, and they want to have drinks... tomorrow. And I do mean _all_ of our friends. Mags, I can't do this.”

Magnus reached out and placed his hands on Alec's shoulders, grounding his friend. The familiar touch helped soothe Alec's nerves, but only a little. He was still freaking out.

“We can do this. And yes, I definitely owe you. But everything is going to be fine.”

“But what about when we break up? Is everything going to be different after this? Is it going to be weird if we just go back to being best friends like nothing ever happened? Do people do that? And what about how we even got together in the first place? How are we supposed to answer everyone's questions? Because they're going to have so many questions, Magnus, they're the nosiest group of friends ever.” Alec gasped for breath, feeling nauseous again.

“Feel better?” Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow at Alec.

“No!” Alec exclaimed, huffing at Magnus. He pulled out of Magnus' grasp and began pacing the length of the apartment. He didn't get how his best friend could be so calm right now.

“Alexander, come sit down and we can work this all out, one question and concern at a time,” Magnus gestured to the couch and sat back down, patting the spot next to him for Alec to sit. “And we can start by reminding ourselves that everything is going to be ok. I promise. I won't let this hurt us. You'll always be my best friend, above all else.”

Alec sighed. “You, too.”

“Good. Now that we've got that out of the way, let's strategize.”

Alec came over to the couch and sat next to Magnus. He wasn't surprised when Chairman Meow, Magnus' cat, joined them a second later- the cat was seriously obsessed with him. He didn't get why, but the Chairman was pretty adorable, so he wasn't going to complain.

“What if we tell them we were friends with benefits, and then it just kind of spiraled from there?” Alec suggested as he rubbed behind the Chairman's ears. “That's a thing that happens with friends sometimes... right?”

"Alexander, I say this in the nicest way possible, but no one would ever believe you capable of being friends with benefits."

"I could do friends with benefits!" Alec argued. Magnus raised a disbelieving eyebrow at him and Alec sighed in defeat. "Fine, I could never do friends with benefits. So, what do you propose? What's our story?" Alec asked.

“I don't know,” Magnus sighed.

“You have to know! This is _your_ fault, Magnus! You can't just not know!” Alec yelled, scaring Chairman Meow, who jumped down from his lap and ran into the other room.

“I know, I know! Let me think,” Magnus argued. “Umm... what if... or we could say...”

“Think faster!” Alec exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air.

“I'm doing the best I can!” Magnus replied. Now that Chairman Meow was out of the way, he collapsed onto his back, stretching out on the couch and laying his head in Alec's lap. Alec was used to this from Magnus- they had always been physically close to one another; Magnus didn't really understand personal space. Magnus reached up and grabbed Alec's hand, bringing it down to his spiky hair, silently commanding him to pet him. Alec rolled his eyes, but did as Magnus wished.

Alec was hesitant to give any more ideas. The friends with benefits idea had been a stretch and he knew it. But over the years, he had thought up scenario after scenario, daydream after daydream, of all the ways he and Magnus might end up together. It hit too close to home to reveal those thoughts and dreams to Magnus out loud, knowing that he wished they might be real- not part of this convoluted plot.

“You're biting your lip. You only do that when you're nervous or trying not to say something,” Magnus said, interrupting Alec's thoughts.

“Of course I'm nervous,” Alec sighed. “This whole thing is...” Alec broke off, unable to find the words.

“Look- you're my best friend. I said your name for a reason, Alexander. You know me like a boyfriend would. We're close,” Magnus said, gesturing to their current position. “There's no reason this shouldn't be natural to us. So that's what we'll tell everyone. That it just felt natural. It was a natural progression from friendship into more.”

Alec paused, biting his lip again as he thought this over, then he finally nodded his head. “Yeah, ok. That could work. But what do we say when they ask for details? First date? First kiss? Who asked out who?”

“You asked me out, I kissed you first, and our first date was at your apartment- simple, but very us,” Magnus threw out.

Alec chuckled and nodded his head in agreement. “Yeah, that does sound like us.”

“See, we're going to be fine, Alec. There's nothing to worry about.”

“But what about physical stuff? We have to act like a couple, too,” Alec reminded Magnus.

“Well... what are you comfortable doing?”

“I don't know,” Alec mumbled, shyly. “I mean, we're already pretty close. We don't need to change too much, do we?”

“I agree that we're close as friends, but our friends will be expecting to see some kind of divergence from how we acted around one another before. Some physical sign that things have changed from friendship into more. So even though we're naturally affectionate with one another, we'll probably need to up the ante.”

Alec sighed and ran a hand through his hair. Magnus whined, so Alec brought his hand back down to run through Magnus' hair again, tugging gently on the spikes to show his annoyance. “I don't know, Mags,” Alec groaned.

“Ok, well I'm fine with hugging and kisses on the cheek, if you are. Maybe we should avoid kissing each other on the mouth unless it's like... an emergency. Plus, you put my arm around me a lot anyway when we're home, so maybe we can keep doing that... just in public. And you know how I love to cuddle, so we can do that even more, too,” Magnus suggested.

“What about hand-holding? Are we a couple that hand-holds?” Alec asked.

Magnus raised an eyebrow at Alec. “You hate hand-holding.”

“I just think it's dumb!” Alec exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air. Magnus had always teased Alec for his dislike of public displays of affection- even tame ones like hand-holding. When Magnus and Alec were alone in their apartments, Alec was always more open to physical affectionate, which he knew Magnus loved, but he just didn't get the need to show the whole world that side of him.

“So no hand-holding. It'd be out of character for you and all of our friends would know it. I think we should just do what feels natural. I don't want you to be uncomfortable.”

“Yeah, ok. I'm fine with that,” Alec agreed. He tangled his hand back in Magnus' hair and tugged on it again, affectionately this time. “Are we really going to be ok?” He asked nervously.

“I promise. You're the most important person in my life, Alexander. I won't mess this up.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a shorter chapter for you guys. Thanks for reading! I'm so excited for this story.


	3. Chapter 3

“Have I mentioned what a horrible idea this is?”

Alec was fidgeting nervously with the collar of his shirt as he got ready at Magnus' apartment the next night. It was finally time to face the music and see if Magnus' insane plan would actually work with their friends.

“Oh, and that you owe me. Big time. Like, I want half of your fashion empire one day. And a jet. No, wait, make that a _private_ jet.”

“Alexander, you need to relax,” Magnus responded, stepping up to Alec and knocking his hands aside, straightening the collar on his shirt for him. “We've been over this- everything is going to be fine.”

“Why are we lying to our friends, again? Can't we just tell them the truth? I mean, technically, only this guy at work needs to know, right?” They had had this conversation multiple times over the past twenty-four hours. At this point, Alec was just being difficult and he knew it. But he hated this entire situation, so he didn't care if he was annoying Magnus by being repetitive.

“Yes, only work needs to know, both for my image, apparently, and to get Craig to stop riding my ass... not like that, you pervert,” Magnus replied to Alec's amused smirk. “He wishes,” he then added on quietly, causing Alec to laugh. “But you saw how quickly the news that we're together spread. The more people who know this is all an act, the more likely the truth will get out and get back to work. We need everyone to be in on this... with the exception of Isabelle, of course.”

Alec sighed, then reached out his hand, silently asking Magnus to hand him his tie. He gestured for Magnus to turn around to face him, then draped the tie over his friend's neck and began knotting it for him. Why Magnus insisted on wearing a tie to a bar, he would never understand. But, he supposed his best friend had a certain image to maintain... and his image tonight involved a silk tie, a smoker's jacket and skin-tight purple pants, with an insane amount of glitter covering his hair and body. Magnus' outrageous fashion sense had been distracting at first, earlier on in their friendship, but Alec had grown used to it over the years, to the point where nothing Magnus wore could surprise him these days. Meanwhile, he knew his own wardrobe still drove Magnus round the bend. Tonight, he was dressing up a bit though, to make Magnus happy. He was sporting a black, button-up shirt tucked into fitted jeans.

Magnus turned and observed them both in the mirror, before nodding in approval. “You ready?”

“No.”

Magnus paused for a few seconds before asking, “How about now?”

“Still no.”

“Too bad,” Magnus grinned. “Stop worrying. You'll get wrinkles, and I would be absolutely distraught if you ruined this pretty face.” Alec scowled at Magnus in response to his teasing, and Magnus winked at him in return, before reaching out and placing his hands on Alec's shoulders. “I promise you, Alexander, everything will be fine.”

“You better be right about this.”

 

* * *

 

Alec wasn't sure what to expect when they got to the Sparrow, but nothing could have prepared him for what actually awaited them.

Clary and Simon jumped to their feet, cheering excitedly when Magnus and Alec walked in, while Catarina beamed at them, Jace let out a loud wolf-whistle, and Raphael and Ragnor clapped politely from their seats, before quickly losing interest and picking up the conversation they were having before all the excitement began.

Alec blushed as all eyes in the bar turned to him and Magnus. He tried to turn tail and run back out of the bar, but Magnus quickly caught him by the arm and forced him to the table, under the guise of linking their arms together like a couple, earning them more cheers from their friends... the bastard.

“Was all that noise really necessary?” Alec grumbled as they got to their usual table.

“Duh! You guys are only the couple of the decade, nay, century!” Simon exclaimed. Clary nodded enthusiastically next to her best friend.

Alec made a mental note to ask Magnus for a mansion on the Upper East Side as his next form of payment for all of this.

Magnus, of course, apparently took it all in stride, bowing to the applause and smiling warmly at their friends. Alec rolled his eyes- Magnus always did love being the center of attention.

“You want a drink?” Alec murmured to Magnus, pointedly putting his hand on his lower back for the sake of their charade. He ignored the aww's and cooing sounds coming from his friends. They were absolutely ridiculous.

“Don't bother. Drinks are on us, tonight. We're celebrating,” Jace said, slapping Alec on the back before waving a waiter over to order their drinks.

“You guys just sit right there and tell us everything,” Catarina demanded.

“Oh, but what's there to even tell?” Magnus replied nonchalantly, waving a dismissive hand at Catarina.

“Please, like you're not dying to tell us every last detail,” Raphael replied, raising a disbelieving eyebrow at Magnus.

“In much more detail than we would like,” Ragnor added on.

“Come on, guys! We're dying for info!” Clary whined. “Stop playing coy and spill!”

Alec glanced at Magnus, who gave him a subtle nod of the head. They had mastered the art of communicating silently less than a year into their friendship, and had only gotten better at it as the years went on, much the annoyance of their friends, who were always left out of the loop.

“Fine,” Magnus sighed, studying his painted, dark blue nails in mock-boredom. “But only since you're insisting.”

Ragnor scoffed, which Alec and Magnus pointedly ignored.

“But first, a toast!” Clary interrupted as the waiter arrived back at the table with their drinks. She held her glass up in the air, and everyone else at the table followed suit. “To true love!”

Alec blushed, but repeated it back to Clary, along with the rest of their friends, who were grinning at Magnus and Alec. Magnus clinked his glass against Alec's and brushed a kiss against his cheek, causing Alec to blush even more.

“You guys are so cute,” Simon sighed.

“Seriously, though. I've been waiting for this moment for years,” Clary agreed.

“Yes, well, we didn't want to rush into anything,” Magnus began. “Our friendship is the most important thing to us, still.” Alec nodded his head in agreement. “But eventually we couldn't deny that it just felt natural for us to take things to the next level.”

Magnus ended his story there and took a long sip of his drink. It was a bright pink concoction that Magnus ordered every time they went out. Alec had tried it once and had woken up with the worst hangover of his life the next day. He'd stuck with beer ever since. Alec looked away from Magnus and had to choke back a laugh at the faces his friends were making. They were all staring at him and Magnus in a mixture of shock and disappointment.

“... Are you serious?” Catarina asked in disbelief. “That's all you're going to tell us?”

“What else is there to tell?” Alec asked, hoping he wouldn't actually get an answer.

“We want details, dammit!” Simon exclaimed.

“Speak for yourself,” Ragnor mumbled.

“Guys, leave them alone. This is still new for them,” Jace interrupted. “Let's just celebrate the fact that they're together. We don't have to play twenty questions right now.”

Alec smiled at his best friend. Jace had been there for him practically his whole life. It was so typical that he would come to his rescue now, even when he didn't know Alec needed rescuing.

The cease-fire only lasted about five minutes, though. By the time they started their second round of drinks, everyone had loosened up and started pestering Magnus and Alec once more.

“Are you guys going to move in together? You should totally move in together,” Clary exclaimed happily after downing a shot with Catarina.

Alec laughed outright at that. “No way. Have you seen his apartment? He’s such a slob.”

Magnus elbowed Alec in the ribs, causing him to flinch away and glare at him. “What he means is, this is all still so new. We don’t want to rush into anything,” Magnus explained.

“New?” Raphael scoffed. “You guys have practically been married for the last five years. You were more of a couple than Simon and I when you weren't even a couple. There’s nothing new about this.”

“Still- we’re taking our time,” Alec argued.

“Wait... are you insulting our relationship?” Simon asked belatedly. Raphael rolled his eyes, but wrapped his arm around Simon in reassurance.

Alec caught Jace's eye then. Jace had a strange look on his face. He was looking at him... in disappointment? Sadness? He couldn't tell. But he wasn't sure he liked it. Jace shook his head and looked away, wrapping his arm around Clary as he leaned close to listen to the conversation she was having with Simon.

Alec bit his lip, causing Magnus to lean close and quietly ask him what was wrong. Alec shook his head in dismissal, silently telling Magnus not to worry about it, before turning his head to brush a kiss against Magnus' cheek. He had about one second to float on air at being able to openly show his affection, before Clary and Catarina began drunkenly giggling at them. Alec rolled his eyes and settled for wrapping his arm around Magnus, re-joining the conversation and trying to answer as many questions as he could that his friends were throwing at him and Magnus.

 

* * *

 

The rest of the night went smoothly enough. Or so Alec thought. It wasn't until they were all leaving the bar that Jace silently pulled Alec aside from their friends. Magnus glanced after Alec as he was being pulled away, and Alec shrugged in response to Magnus' silent question.

“Hey bud, you ok?” Jace asked in concern.

“Yeah... why wouldn't I be?” Alec replied nervously.

“Because, for some crazy reason I don't even want to understand, you and Magnus are pretending to be in a relationship.”

Alec grabbed Jace's arm and tugged him even further away from their friends, who were standing around right outside the bar as everyone re-grouped and got ready to walk home. “How did you know?” Alec hissed. “Did Izzy...?”

“No, but I'm glad at least she knows the truth.”

“I'm sorry, Jace- it's just... Magnus needs this for work. Plus there's this creep who's been bothering him. It was supposed to be a small secret, but then word spread and Clary found out...”

“Look, you don't have to explain. It's crazy, and I don't get it, but if this is what you want to do, then fine. Whatever.”

“Was it completely obvious that we were lying?”

“Only to me. I mean, seriously, man? You, my best friend in the whole world, start 'dating' the guy you've been in love with for five years and I find out from my girlfriend and not you? Yeah, right,” Jace scoffed. “Plus, you were still looking at him all moony-like. And if you had already bedded him, there wouldn't have been so much sexual tension.”

“Jace!” Alec exclaimed in humiliation. “Oh my god, please stop talking.”

“But everyone else believes it because, honestly, it's not that big of a stretch,” Jace continued on as if Alec had never spoken.

“And you won't tell? Not even Clary?”

Jace sighed, shaking his head. “Not if you don't want me to. Look, Alec, I can't really get behind this. I think it's a stupid idea and I don't think it's fair to you for Magnus to ask you to do this. But if you're going to do it, then I'm going to be there for you. I'll keep your secret. Just... don't get your heart fucking broken, ok? I like Magnus- I don't want to have to beat him up.”

Alec laughed humorlessly and nodded his head. “Ok. Thank you.” He pulled Jace into a hug.

“Do I need to be jealous?” Magnus asked, winking jokingly as he approached Alec and Jace.

“Nope. He's all yours,” Jace said, pulling away from Alec with a slap to the back.

Magnus linked his arm through Alec's and pulled him back toward the group. 

"What was that all about?"

"I'll explain later," Alec sighed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh heyyyy.... I've already written Chapter 4, as well... (I'll post it in a day or two). I'm just really excited about this story. Hope you guys are enjoying it, too! Thank you for all the kudos and your lovely comments!
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr. Rafaellightwood-bane


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't my favorite chapter ever, but I think I've edited and revised it as much as I can... hope you guys like it.

“I think that went pretty well,” Magnus commented as he and Alec parted from their friends at their apartment building. Jace and Clary had veered off from them three blocks earlier at Jace’s apartment, and now Simon and Raphael waved goodbye as they continued down the street to their own apartment. “I mean, apart from Catarina asking which one of us tops. That was a bit awkward. But still-”

“Jace knows,” Alec sighed, cutting Magnus off.

Magnus paused on the stairs leading up to their apartments, nearly causing Alec to trip and fall on top of him. “…What?”

“Jace figured us out,” Alec repeated, gently pushing Magnus to keep climbing the stairs.

“But I thought it went so well,” Magnus complained. Alec unlocked his apartment and held the door open for Magnus once they reached the third floor. He rolled his eyes as Magnus shed his jacket and dropped it on the floor by the front door.

“Yeah, well, we should have expected that at least _one_ person would see through our act.” Alec said as he stooped to pick up the discarded clothing. He hung the jacket up on the coat rack where it belonged, then shed his shirt (which he deposited in the dirty clothes bin) as he made his way into the bedroom. “And of course it would be Jace who figured it out. He figured out I was gay _way_ before I told him. He figured out when I had a crush on him when I was thirteen. And now, he’s figured out that we’re pretending.

You want to crash here tonight?” Alec asked, quickly diverting from their conversation. Magnus nodded his head, so Alec began rummaging through his dresser for two t-shirts. He tossed one to Magnus, then turned his back as Magnus began unbuttoning his shirt.

“I thought I was too much of a slob to live with?” Magnus teased. Alec rolled his eyes, his back still turned to Magnus as they got dressed for bed.

“It’s true and you know it.”

Once Alec was in his boxers and t-shirt, he grabbed his key to Magnus’ and quickly went next door to fetch Chairman Meow. He knew the Chairman would be fine on his own for one night, but he hated leaving him alone. Plus, he loved to cuddle with him while he slept- not that he would ever admit that to Magnus.

“Your obsession with my cat is getting a bit ridiculous,” Magnus commented as Alec returned. Magnus was now dressed in Alec’s t-shirt and sleep pants, and he was just finishing up brushing his teeth in Alec’s bathroom (Alec had bought a spare toothbrush for Magnus as soon as he moved in, and Magnus had one for him in his apartment, too, in case of spontaneous sleepovers like this one). Alec ignored the way his heart began beating faster at the sight in front of him.

Alec also pointedly ignored Magnus’ insult and snuggled his nose against Chairman Meow’s cheek. Chairman Meow licked Alec’s nose, causing Alec to smirk smugly at Magnus.

“You’re just jealous that he loves me more.”

“That’s a blatant lie,” Magnus argued, pointing his finger accusingly at Alec. “Which daddy do you love more, Chairman? Who feeds you? Who buys you embroidered cushions? Who took you in off the streets?”

Chairman Meow began purring and snuggled closer to Alec.

“You have betrayed me!” Magnus bellowed, narrowing his eyes at them. Alec doubled over laughing, then pressed a kiss to the Chairman’s cheek before dropping him off on his bed as he joined Magnus in the bathroom.

“So what are we going to do about Jace?” Magnus asked, returning to their earlier conversation. He leaned his hip against the bathroom counter while Alec got ready for bed.

“What do you mean? What can we do?” Alec asked while brushing his teeth. It came out more like, “whamdomnn? Whacawydooo?” But of course Magnus understood every word.

“I mean, do you think he’ll tell Clary?”

“I don’t think so,” Alec replied after spitting the toothpaste into the sink. He turned off the light in the bathroom, then went into his bedroom and switched off the lamp on his bedside table as he crawled under the covers of his King-Sized bed. Magnus got into bed next to him and snuggled up against him. “He said he wouldn’t. But would it be so bad if he did? I feel bad lying to all of our friends.”

Magnus reached out in the dark and gently laid his hand on Alec’s arm. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “I didn’t mean for this to get so out of control.”

“I know,” Alec sighed, turning on his side to face Magnus.

“We can call it off if you want to.”

Alec bit his lip and thought it over. It would definitely be the easiest thing to do. It would be so easy to go back to his friends and say they were joking or just say that it hadn’t worked out. He could bail right now and everything would be fine. Magnus was giving him an out, and he was so tempted to take it. But if he backed out now, it would all backfire for Magnus. Craig would redouble his efforts, which made Alec sick to his stomach. He always got jealous when other guys (or girls) flirted with Magnus, and even though he knew Magnus didn’t return Craig’s affections, he still felt smug knowing Magnus was “his” and off-limits to anyone else. Plus, Magnus had explained to him in more detail how his boss was impressed that Magnus had left his playboy ways behind him and was finally settling down. Apparently, it made him look more reliable and trustworthy. And she had hinted that Alec would be excellent arm-candy at Magnus’ events, and that the two of them together would turn a lot of heads. So while it was seriously throwing a wrench in Alec’s life, this plan was doing great things for Magnus.

“No,” Alec sighed. “You need this. If this makes you more appealing to clients and could help your career, then I’m in. Of course I’m in. And I don’t think I’ve ever seen our friends more excited about anything.”

“What’s up with that, anyway? I had no idea our friends wanted us together so much,” Magnus laughed.

“They are a bit… enthusiastic, aren’t they?” Alec agreed.

“It’s like they were expecting this. But that’s just ridiculous,” Magnus continued. “Like you and I… like we would… it’s… _ridiculous_.”

Alec laughed humorlessly. “Yeah,” he mumbled. “Ridiculous.”

Magnus suddenly sat up and leaned over Alec, propping himself up on his elbows. Alec’s breath hitched in his throat as he felt Magnus’ warm body along his.

“What’s wrong? You had a tone.”

“Nothing. I’m just tired. Go to sleep,” Alec said, gently pushing Magnus off of him before turning on his side, his back to Magnus.

It was a while until he heard Magnus’ breath even out, and even longer until he followed him into sleep.

 

* * *

 

On Sunday morning, Alec got a call from his mom while he was in the process of getting ready for their weekly brunch. Sunday brunches had become a tradition for the Lightwoods ever since he left for college. He and Izzy would join their mom and Max at their childhood home and catch up on their lives, which Alec loved because it allowed him to see his siblings regularly. He missed them now that they didn’t all live together anymore.

“Mom? What is it? Is everyone ok? Is it Max?” Alec asked in a panic as he answered the phone. His mom rarely ever called him, and it was especially unusual considering he was supposed to see her in just an hour.

“Everything’s fine. I just wanted to call and invite Magnus to brunch today.”

Alec paused, furrowing his brow in confusion. “Magnus? Why would you invite Mag-“ Alec let out a groan as he realized what must have happened.

“Who told you?” He sighed in defeat.

“I have no idea what you mean,” Maryse said in mock innocence.

“Mom…”

“Fine. I heard it from someone in my book club, who heard it from her daughter, who works with Magnus.”

“Jesus Christ, does the whole world know?!” Alec exclaimed.

“The whole world minus your mother, apparently.”

“I’m sorry, mom. I was going to tell you today at brunch,” Alec lied.

“Make it up to me by bringing your young gentleman with you to brunch, then. I want to meet him.”

“Mom… you’ve known Magnus for years,” Alec sighed, rubbing his temple. He could feel a migraine coming on.

“But not as your boyfriend. Bring him.” She hung up before Alec could argue.

Alec closed his eyes and counted to ten, trying to calm down, then went next door and jumped on top of Magnus, who had still been soundly sleeping.

“What the fuck!” Magnus exclaimed, startling awake. Alec grinned down at him from where he was straddling him. He only ever felt free to act open and silly like this with Magnus. He and Jace always had a blast when they were together and they would be best friends forever, and Alec knew he could always be himself with his sister and little brother, but Magnus somehow brought out this side of him that he hadn’t even known he had. A side that was up for crazy adventures and loved to act like a kid sometimes and enjoyed annoying the shit out of Magnus.

“Morning, Mags! You’re coming to brunch.”

“No,” Magnus mumbled, closing his eyes again and shoving half-heartedly at Alec.

Alec delighted in the fact that Magnus wasn’t a morning person. He had discovered that early on in their sophomore year of college, when they started rooming together. He and Jace usually woke up early to go jogging together before class. But Alec’s first class that year hadn’t been until noon, which meant Jace would leave him in the company of their other roommate, Ragnor, who wasn’t an any-time-of-day person. So Alec would brew a pot of coffee and barge into Magnus’ room, waking him up so he could keep him company. This usually resulted in a lot of grumbling and insults from Magnus (which Alec found adorable), but Alec always rewarded him with coffee, so all was quickly forgiven. In turn, Magnus would often wake Alec up in the middle of the night to drag him outside for his latest adventure- this too resulted in a lot of grumbling and insults (usually from Jace or Ragnor when they got a call at 4 in the morning, begging them to rescue him and Magnus from whatever crazy situation they had gotten themselves into… Ragnor had been in Alec’s shoes more times than he wished to count, so he was often more understanding. Jace usually just laughed and hung up on him).

“You have no one to blame but yourself. Your mother-in-law wants to meet you.”

“Mother-in-la… oh, fuck,” Magnus groaned as he realized what Alec meant. ”How did one, innocent, little lie get so out of control?”

“You’re preaching to the choir, Mags. Now get up. I know you need an hour to primp.”

“Go make coffee,” Magnus ordered, pushing Alec off of him.

“Yes, master,” Alec drawled sarcastically, making his way into the kitchen. Chairman Meow jumped off the bed and followed dutifully behind him.

“Cat thief,” he heard Magnus grumble. Alec glanced behind him with a smirk, then started laughing when he saw Magnus trying (and failing) to roll out of bed, completely tangled up in his sheets. Magnus gave him the finger without looking in his direction, causing Alec to laugh even more.

 

* * *

 

“Hey sis, hey little bro,” Magnus greeted, giving Izzy a warm hug and Max a fist-bump as he and Alec walked through the door of Alec's old home. Magnus was an only child, and Alec knew he always wished he had siblings to spoil and love and tease. So Magnus had been thrilled when Alec had offered to share his siblings with him. Magnus, Izzy, and Max had hit it off from the first time they ever met. Magnus adored Izzy (she was his favorite shopping buddy), and Magnus had so much patience with Max: he was always happy to listen to Max go on and on about his new favorite anime book. Magnus’ kindness and love toward his siblings was one of the first things that made Alec fall in love with him.

“Hey guys,” Alec greeted, hugging Izzy and Max in turn, even though Max tried to squirm away from him. He was going through his teenage phase and hated anything that made him feel like a baby. Apparently, hugs were now grouped in that category. Alec rolled his eyes and just squeezed Max harder.

“Alec, Magnus,” Maryse greeted. She and Max lived alone in Alec’s childhood home. Robert and Maryse had divorced right before Alec left for college. Alec almost didn’t live on campus because of it. He wanted to be there for his mom, but Izzy had promised she would look out for her, and that Alec should get the whole college experience. And she had been right, of course. Maryse had been fine, and Alec had the best freshman year possible (and an even better sophomore year when Izzy joined him on campus, he came out to all of his friends, and he and Magnus moved into a suite on campus with Jace and Ragnor, their two freshman roommates and childhood best friends). But he wouldn’t have gotten to that point if it weren’t for his experiences and new friendships he formed during his freshman year.

Magnus dropped a kiss to the back of Maryse’s hand. “Maryse, looking lovely as ever.” Alec rolled his eyes.

The family had barely sat at the table when the questioning began.

“So, Magnus, when are you going to make an honest man out of my Alec?” Maryse asked.

Magnus, Alec, and Izzy all choked on their drinks, but Magnus was the first to recover.

“Oh! Ummm… I haven’t thought that far ahead?” Magnus said. Alec could see him struggling to come up with a good enough excuse. He hated that everyone was taking this so seriously- it would just make it more devastating for everyone involved when the “relationship” ended.

“Mom, is that really an appropriate question to ask?” Alec complained. “We just started dating.”

“Nonsense. Why wait?” Maryse asked. Alec blushed bright red and wished the earth would open up beneath him.

“I love your son,” Magnus said to Maryse. Alec looked up at Magnus, wide-eyed. “He’s the best friend I’ve ever had. Which is why we want to take it slow. There’s no need to rush into anything before we’re ready.”

Maryse seemed pleased with that answer and moved on. But Alec was having an internal meltdown.

He knew Magnus loved him. They were best friends, after all. But hearing him say it like that… he could almost believe it was real, that it was romantic. But no, he couldn’t think like that. This was exactly why Jace and Izzy were so worried about him, because he couldn’t get his hopes up like this. He had to keep the line between reality and fiction clear so that this wouldn’t mess with his head. He couldn’t let himself get caught up in the fantasy. He had to remember that this was all pretend. Magnus wasn’t his… not like that. And thinking that Magnus was in love with him would only lead to heartbreak.

Apparently, his thoughts were reflected on his face, because a moment later, Izzy kicked him hard on the shin. Alec grimaced, then stuck his tongue out at Izzy, who rolled her eyes at him.

“Wait… you guys are dating now?” Max asked suddenly. “About time.”

Alec sighed and hung his head in his hands. Magnus chuckled next to him and reached out to rub Alec’s back.

“Is this where you threaten to beat me up if I break his heart?” Magnus asked, smirking at Max… who was still only half his size. The Lightwood men were all tall, but Max hadn’t hit his growth-spurt yet, even though he was 15. Sometimes, Alec thought his little brother would just stay small and adorable forever.

“Hey, I could take you,” Max declared, pointing his fork threateningly at Magnus, causing Alec to smile.

“You remember those boxing moves I showed you last year?” Alec asked Max, happy for the opportunity to move the conversation away from him and Magnus.

“Boxing moves or no, it’s still Izzy I’m most scared of,” Magnus replied.

“Damn straight,” Izzy agreed, winking at Magnus. “Speaking of relationships, I have news.”

Alec raised an eyebrow at Izzy. Izzy and the words “I have news” were never a good combination.

“I have realized that I also like girls. And I’m dating a girl named Lydia,” Izzy announced proudly.

“Wait, so you’re a lesbian?” Alec asked.

“Bi-sexual,” Izzy clarified. Magnus beamed and high-fived Izzy.

“Welcome to the club, sis!” Magnus cheered.

“Fine,” Maryse replied, nodding curtly like she was agreeing to a business deal. Maryse wasn’t really the warm and fluffy type, so this nod of approval was the best Izzy was going to get- it was the same response Alec had gotten when he came out (which he actually loved. He didn’t want anyone to make a big deal about it. Of course, that meant Magnus and Izzy had banded together and thrown a coming-out party where everyone had to dress in ball gowns, regardless of their gender. The party was so big the cops ended up shutting it down). “But I want to meet this Lydia. Invite her to brunch next week. And Max, I’m relying on you to give me grand-children now.”

“Hey! I still want kids!” Alec exclaimed.

“Me, too,” Magnus agreed.

“And mom, I hate to break it to you, but I’m never having kids, regardless of if I marry a girl or a guy. They’re horrible little creatures,” Izzy added on.

“I won’t allow you to talk like that around my future children,” Alec exclaimed.

“Oh my god, Alec, you don’t even have kids yet and you’re already protecting their innocence?” Izzy asked, rolling her eyes.

“As long as I get grand-babies, I don’t care where they come from,” Maryse relented with a sigh, while Max laughed so hard orange juice came out of his nose.

“I _love_ brunch with your family,” Magnus murmured, wrapping his arm around Alec. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Today is my last day at my job, and then I'm going on a road-trip this weekend, and then I start my new job on Monday! Yay for exciting things!
> 
> That being said, I have no idea when the next chapter will be up. Hopefully won't be more than a week, though. 
> 
> Thanks again for all of your lovely comments and kudos. They make my day!


	5. Chapter 5

Alec didn’t see Magnus for a full week after the Lightwood brunch on Sunday. Magnus had the biggest fashion event of his career coming up, so he spent his days locked away in his apartment or working late at the office preparing for his runway show, which would put a spotlight on his own original designs. There were measurements to be done and fittings to be had. He constantly had to go back to the drawing board, while figuring out music and lighting and guest lists. Alec’s head spun any time he thought about it or heard Magnus lay out all the details- he didn’t know how Magnus managed it all.

So every day that week, Alec went to work, came home, called Magnus to make sure he had remembered to eat that day, then went to bed.

It wasn’t until Friday night at the Sparrow, during their weekly drinks with their friends, that he finally saw Magnus face to face again. Alec honestly didn’t even think Magnus would show for drinks, so he was completely taken by surprise when Magnus walked through the door.

“Hey,” Alec said happily, pulling Magnus into a hug before drawing away to look his friend over. He looked exhausted- there were dark smudges of kohl under his eyes, his hair was flopping over on his forehead, the gel long gone, and he was missing that certain energy that he always brought to a room. “What are you doing here? Have you slept at all this week?”

“I think I fell asleep standing earlier?” Magnus replied, swaying on his feet. Alec quickly tugged him down into the booth to sit next to him.

“You’re sleeping at mine tonight. Tomorrow’s the big day, and I can’t have you showing up looking like you belong on The Walking Dead.” Alec knew the only way Magnus was going to sleep that night was if he kept an eye on him. He assumed Magnus had barely slept all week, judging by the bags under his eyes.

“But I still have to-“

“Nope,” Alec argued, cutting Magnus off. “You’re not the only one organizing this show. Let someone else do some work. Plus, we can go early tomorrow and I’ll help however I can.”

Magnus sighed, but nodded his head. “What did I do to deserve you?” He asked, kissing Alec’s cheek.

Alec's heart skipped a beat, but he was quickly brought out of his bubble and back to reality by the sound of his friends cooing at him. He had honestly forgotten they were even there the second Magnus walked into the room. Magnus had always had that affect on him, though.

Alec had hoped his friends would be over their “relationship” by now. And honestly, he hadn't even been actively trying to fool them just then. This was just him and Magnus.

He quickly flicked his eyes to Jace, who was frowning at him. Alec bit his lip and turned back to Magnus, wrapping his arm around him and trying to fight the blush he could feel forming on his cheeks. “Oh, shut up,” he grumbled to his friends, who started cackling happily.

And suddenly, he acutely felt Magnus' exhaustion.

 

* * *

 

“You excited?” Alec asked as he and Magnus got into bed together later that night.

“At the moment... I feel sick,” Magnus replied.

Alec loved that Magnus was always honest with him. If anyone else had asked Magnus what he was feeling, Alec knew they would get a response along the lines of “I was born ready” or “It will be fantastic, just like me.” But Alec knew Magnus better than anyone, and he knew Magnus didn't even bother putting up a front with him anymore, because Alec would see right through it.

“Don't. You'll be incredible. You'll charm the pants off of everyone in attendance. This show is going to do incredible things for your career, and I'm so proud of you,” Alec reassured.

Magnus turned on his side to face Alec and reached out a hand to brush softly against Alec's cheek. “I really love you,” Magnus murmured.

“I love you, too,” Alec replied automatically. Magnus frowned and turned away, his back now to Alec. Alec's brow furrowed in concern. “You ok?”

“Just nerves,” Magnus sighed.

Alec scooted closer to Magnus and wrapped his arms around him from behind. “You'll be great. And even if you crash and burn, I'll still be here,” Alec joked.

Magnus laughed, the sound vibrating against Alec's chest where it met his back.

“Why is it you always know just what to say?” Magnus asked.

“I could say the same for you,” Alec replied. Alec rested his chin on top of Magnus' head, snuggling closer and pulling Magnus tight against his chest, trying to get comfortable. They had slept in the same bed time and time again, but they had never cuddled quite like this. Alec blamed the alcohol and Magnus' exhaustion. And besides, a little cuddling never killed anyone. “Go to sleep, Mags.”

“Not tired. Need to work,” Magnus argued, then let out a huge yawn.

“Go to sleep, Mags,” Alec repeated, rolling his eyes.

“Ok,” Magnus sighed in defeat.

And for the first time in a week, Alec and Magnus slept through the night.

 

* * *

 

Alec was right, of course. Magnus' show went off without a hitch. His designs were truly stunning. The make-up, the music, the lighting, the hair, the runway... everything was perfect. Alec was amazed not just by Magnus' talent at creating new fashion designs and bringing them to life, but also by his ability to have a vision for showing off those fashions, and making it a perfect reality.

And Magnus obviously looked gorgeous. His hair was styled to perfection, his eyes lined elegantly with dark kohl and glitter. He was wearing one of his own original designs, that only he could pull off with such grace and glamour. All eyes were on him, including Alec's. He never could keep his eyes off of his best friend, and he wished now more than ever that Magnus was his and his alone.

Alec jumped to his feet from his seat in the front row at the end of the show when Magnus walked down the runway and took a bow. He cheered and let out a wolf-whistle, feeling so unbelievably proud of Magnus.

Alec let Magnus work the crowd for a few minutes after the show before approaching him. He knew it was crucial for Magnus to converse and network with the big wigs who had come to his show and might be interested in buying his designs- the more celebrities who chose his designs for red carpet events, the more attention (and money) he would receive.

When Alec saw a quick opening in the crowd, he took it. Alec came up behind Magnus and wrapped his arms around his waist, then pressed a kiss to his cheek before resting his chin on Magnus’ shoulder. “I am _so_ proud of you, Mags. That was incredible.”

Before Magnus could reply, Alec noticed that Magnus actually _had_ been talking to someone- a man who was about an inch shorter than Magnus, had bleached blonde hair, and possessed this air of being way too confident and self-assured in himself. There was only one person this could be: Craig. Alec squeezed Magnus even tighter against him, and Magnus laid his hands on top of Alec’s, which were resting on his stomach.

“Hi, babe. You liked that, huh?” Magnus grinned. He turned his face and rubbed his nose against Alec’s. Alec’s breath caught in his throat at the gesture and from having Magnus so close. Alec's eyes locked onto Magnus', who was gazing lovingly back at him.

Craig cleared his throat, causing Alec to jump. He and Magnus quickly turned their attention back to him.

“Alec, I presume?” Craig asked, raising a judgmental eyebrow at Alec as he gave him a blatant once-over. He didn't seem to be impressed by what he saw.

“Yeah. And you are?” Alec asked. He could feel Magnus holding back a laugh, his stomach muscles clenching under his hands.

“Alexander, this is my co-worker, Craig. Craig, this is my beautiful boyfriend, Alexander- but you knew that already.”

Alec blushed at hearing Magnus call him beautiful, but he knew it was all for show, so he tried to keep up appearances. He turned his head, pressing a kiss to the top of Magnus' hair.

“I'm nothing compared to you. I know I've told you this about twenty times already today, but you look unbelievable,” Alec commented. He smiled when Magnus blushed in return. Alec actually hadn't told Magnus how incredible he looked yet today, but he was happy for the chance to be candid, even if Magnus might think it was all for show.

“Yes, well, I owe you a big thank you later tonight,” Magnus winked. “None of this would have been possible without you. Craig, my darling Alec woke up at the crack of dawn this morning to help me set up. He hauled all of my designs in here and I even spotted him grabbing a tool belt to help assemble the runway.”

Alec blushed. He hadn't realized Magnus had even seen him doing that. He thought Magnus was backstage at that point, preparing his models. And feeling lost of what to do to be helpful, he had grabbed a spare toolbelt and asked if the guys assembling the runway needed an extra hand. He had told Magnus countless times that he would help in any way possible, after all. And if that meant building a runway, then that's what he would do.

“It was nothing,” Alec shrugged.

“Don't undervalue yourself. You're wonderful,” Magnus murmured.

Craig frowned and crossed his arms. Alec bit back a smug grin when Craig's frown turned to a snear as Magnus started tracing delicate patterns over Alec's hands with his fingers. It looked like Craig was finally getting the message loud and clear.

“So, how long have you two been together?” Craig asked.

“It feels like forever,” Magnus replied. “He's been a part of my life for years now. It was just a matter of time.” Alec nodded his head in agreement, then smiled fondly as Magnus leaned up to press a kiss to his cheek.

“Cute,” Craig deadpanned.

“I hate to be rude, but if you'll please excuse us. I have some people I want to introduce Alexander to.”

Craig nodded his head, but was reluctant to move away. Alec chuckled as he saw Craig searching the room for someone else to talk to- it seemed like everyone was running the other way.

Alec and Magnus burst out laughing just as soon as Craig was far enough away to no longer hear them.

“Oh my god, did you see his face?!” Alec laughed, finally releasing his hold on Magnus, who had been wrapped up in his arms during the whole exchange with Craig.

“That was so much fun. Oh my god, you were perfect!” Magnus exclaimed.

“Yeah, well that was a piece of cake after fooling our friends.”

“True. I'm just glad he'll finally leave me alone and stop pestering me about going out with him. It was beginning to get ridiculous. Can you believe he was hitting on me _again_ before you showed up?” Magnus said.

Alec narrowed his eyes and searched the room for Craig so he could glare at him. “But you told him you have a boyfriend! I can't believe that creep tried to steal you from me!”

“Yes, well, I think he got the message loud and clear,” Magnus said, placing his hand on Alec's arm, drawing the attention back to him. Alec sighed and stopped his search for Craig. “Now... will you make a circuit of the room with me? I wasn't lying when I said I want to introduce you to some people.”

“Yeah. Yeah, of course,” Alec agreed. He glanced down at Magnus' hand resting on his arm and sighed, then rolled his eyes before grabbing his hand and holding it firmly in his own. “We have to keep up appearances, right?”

Magnus' eyes lit up. “Oh, this is going to be fun.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Alec sighed. “Just don't forget, you still owe me a private jet. And an island. And Cristal, Maybach, diamonds on my timepiece...”

“Now you're just quoting song lyrics at me.”

“Doesn't change the fact that I'm keeping a list. Oh, and never call me 'babe' again. I almost blew our cover by barfing all over my shoes.”

Magnus chuckled and squeezed Alec's hand before leaning up to press a kiss to Alec's cheek to show his gratitude.

“Come on. I've got to show off my man,” Magnus teased.

Alec let out a groan, but dutifully followed Magnus, just like he always had. He decided to ignore the thought in his mind reminding him that following Magnus in the past usually ended horribly. He never could listen to logic when Magnus was involved, though. Why start now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow... so much has happened since I last updated this. I went on a roadtrip, which was lovely, and came home to a mouse infestation in my apartment, which was terrible. I started a new job and saw Gillian Anderson in A Streetcar Named Desire, which was great. And in between all of that, I've barely had any time to write at all! I've missed this story and I'm so excited to be back writing it! Next update should definitely not take this long. Thanks for your patience! And thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6

“Cheers to us. But mostly to you and your amazing debut,” Alec announced, clinking his glass against Magnus'. It was the night after Magnus' show, and they were at their favorite diner down the street from their apartment- the same diner they always ate at when they didn't order take-out together or attempt cooking (which always ended in disaster... usually in the form of a blazing fire and flirting their way out of trouble with the fire department, who now knew them by name). The same diner Magnus had dropped the bomb on Alec that he needed him to be his fake boyfriend.

But now they could celebrate that the plan had worked. They had spent the rest of the day on Saturday networking and mingling and attending various after-parties so they could network and mingle even more. Alec was starting to wonder if talent even factored into the fashion industry at all, or if it was just about who you knew. Either way, Alec knew without a doubt that Magnus would be extremely successful in his field- he had talent _and_ charm. It had been a full twenty-four hours since the event and Alec was still bursting with pride.

In addition to Magnus' success, Craig had stayed away from them for the rest of the night. Plus, Magnus was pleased to tell Alec that he had multiple people go on and on about how handsome and kind Alec was any time they had a minute alone with Magnus. And Magnus' boss had been extremely impressed with the picture they made together. The plan had worked, and they had survived it. They could carry out an amicable break-up in a few days, carry on with their lives, and everything would stay the same. Alec could hardly believe it.

"I have an idea," Magnus announced after taking a sip of his drink.

"Oh God, no," Alec groaned, earning a playful slap on the arm from Magnus. “Those words out of your mouth are never good. Ever. I'm not sneaking into Peru, I'm not going hot-air ballooning with you, and we're not throwing any more parties- your apartment is not big enough for that, Magnus. I don't know how many times I have to tell you.”

"Just, hear me out," Magnus argued, holding up his hands for Alec to listen and give him a chance.

Alec raised an eyebrow, silently encouraging Magnus to go on. He braced himself for whatever Magnus' next “great idea” would be.

"Ok, so the runway show went well, and Craig seemed to get the message and backed off. Everyone loved you, including my boss. And we made a perfect pair.”

Alec held his breath, wondering where Magnus was going with this. He refused to get his hopes up- there was no way Izzy's prediction that Magnus would love faking it with Alec so much that he would want to finally make a relationship between them a reality was right. But he couldn't help but dream, and the way Magnus was talking...

“So,” Magnus continued, “since this is working so well for us, I thought maybe we could carry on for a little while longer."

“What are you saying?” Alec asked. He couldn't breathe. Was this really happening?

“Alexander Lightwood... would you continue to be my fake-boyfriend?”

Alec choked back a gasp. He should have known. It wasn't real, and it never would be.

“Oh,” he murmured softly.

Magnus sighed. "Ok, yes, I fully realize I'm being selfish here. But things have been so great lately and I want to keep it up. And is it really so difficult being my boyfriend?" Magnus pouted playfully at Alec.

Alec sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "No," he admitted. "It's not horrible." And it wasn't. The faking it part, though. _That_ was torture. But being Magnus' “boyfriend?” That wasn't horrible at all.

"Then can we please keep it up a little while longer?" Magnus pleaded.

"How long?" Alec asked. He didn't know how much longer he could keep up the charade without it ruining him. They had done what they started out to do. Craig had gotten the message, and Magnus could just drop Alec's name from now on if Craig started pushing it again, and he would hopefully back off. Alec had fulfilled his part- he didn't have to say yes. He had helped Magnus. He knew he should say no. But he always was weak when it came to Magnus...

"Another month, max. I promise. I just think it'd be nice if you we could go to a few more work functions together. My boss loved you, and you charmed so many people... plus, Craig seemed to respond better to seeing you in person than me just talking about you."

“And our friends?” Alec asked.

“I guess... I mean... we would need to keep lying to them. I hate it as much as you do, Alexander, but you know how fast news spreads once the truth gets out.”

Alec shook his head in frustration, but let out another sigh. "You suck."

"And proud of it," Magnus smirked, winking at Alec, who rolled his eyes in response to Magnus' innuendo. "So is that a yes?"

"I never can resist you..." Alec replied. “But only one more month. That's it. No more extensions.”

Magnus let out a cheer and reached across the booth to pull Alec into a hug. "Yay! Thank you!"

One more month. Alec could do this. He had made it out relatively unscathed so far. What was one more month in the grand scheme of things?

“Speaking of relationships, I met Lydia at brunch this morning,” Alec informed Magnus.

“The mysterious Lydia! Tell me everything! What did she look like? How did she act? Is she good enough for our little sister?” Magnus asked excitedly.

“She's... me,” Alec chuckled. “Personality-wise, I mean. She reminds me of me. So I'll have fun teasing Izz about that- I don't even know if Izz has realized yet that she's dating female-me. But yeah, she's really pretty. I liked her. And, most importantly, Izzy seemed happy.”

“Blonde or brunette or red-head? Tall? Skinny? Tattoos?” Magnus asked.

Alec rolled his eyes and laughed. “Blonde, same height as Izz, nice figure, and I don't know if she has tattoos,” Alec replied, ticking his answers off on his fingers as he went down Magnus' list of questions. “Why don't we just have drinks with them sometime, if you want to meet her so badly?”

“I was hoping you'd say that,” Magnus grinned. “I'll call her and arrange a double-date.”

“Magnus, no. No date. Can we please just be ourselves for one night?” Alec pleaded. If he was going to continue “dating” Magnus for another month, he needed to make sure they set some boundaries. And since Izzy already knew the truth about their relationship, he saw no reason to lie to Lydia.

Magnus flicked his hand, brushing Alec off. “Yes, of course. You know what I meant. Date as in a friendly outing between two best friends.”

“Promise me,” Alec demanded. “Just friends with Izzy and Lydia. I miss us. I need some Magnus-Alec best friend outings to balance all the bullshit.”

Magnus smiled fondly at Alec. There was something else in Magnus' eyes, though. A look Alec surprisingly didn't recognize. It almost looked a little sad- but Alec couldn't think of any reason for Magnus to be sad at the moment. The look was gone in a blink of an eye, though, before Alec could properly analyze it. “I promise.”

 

* * *

 

Magnus and Alec were a few minutes late to drinks with Izzy and Lydia. Chairman Meow had jumped onto Magnus' lap while he was doing his eyeliner, which caused him to jerk his arm and smudge his make-up, which meant he had to start that whole eye over again, much to Alec's dismay (although he wouldn't argue that the eyeliner did amazing things to Magnus' eyes, even though he loved him with or without make-up on). So, by the time they arrived, Izzy and Lydia were already seated at a booth, nursing drinks.

Izzy spotted Alec by the door and waved them over.

“Hi, Alec,” Lydia beamed, waving at Alec as he sat across from her. Alec gave Lydia a small smile as he pulled Magnus down to sit next to him. “And you must be Magnus! Izzy has told me so much about her brother-in-law.”

“Brother-in-law?” Alec asked, looking at Izzy in confusion.

“I technically didn't say brother-in-law. I just said that Magnus is like a brother. And that you guys are inseparable. Lydia put the rest together herself,” Izzy explained, with a smirk. Alec shot her a glare, which he quickly softened when saw Lydia's worried expression.

“Oh! Oh my god. You two aren't together? I'm so sorry- I just assumed, from the way Izzy talks about you two...”

“It's ok, my dear. A common mistake,” Magnus said, holding up his hands in reassurance. “But yes, we're only friends. Best friends.” Alec nodded his head in agreement. “Now, the reason we're here tonight... Isabelle, darling, your Lydia is stunning. You picked a gorgeous partner to go gay over,” Magnus winked at Izzy.

“Oh my god, I'm never going to make it through this night,” Alec deadpanned, hanging his head in his hands.

Alec's humiliation was interrupted by the waitress making her way up to the table. She was short- maybe only five and a half feet, petite, all long limbs with long blonde hair and full lips, and her cleavage was busting out of her top.

“Why, hello...” Magnus smiled, winking at the waitress. Alec frowned down at the table.

“Hi there. I'm Lindsay and I'll be your waitress this evening. What can I get you started with?” The waitress, _Lindsay_ , asked.

“Martini for me,” Magnus ordered.

“Blue Moon,” Alec added on, although the waitress had all of her attention set on leering at Magnus, so he wasn't sure if she had even heard him order. Lindsay winked at Magnus before sauntering off with a swing to her hips. Alec had to refrain himself from grabbing Magnus and forcefully pulling him out of the bar in a fit of jealousy. He had seen that look on Magnus' face enough times to know that Magnus was attracted to this person. And even though Alec had been through it before, it still hurt every single time.

“Well, wasn't that a lovely surprise,” Magnus grinned, finally looking away from the waitress to wink at Lydia.

Alec gently shook his head at Izzy, who was frowning sadly at him. He didn't want her pity.

“So, tell me, how did you two meet? I want all the juicy details!” Magnus exclaimed, the waitress seemingly momentarily forgotten.

“Not too juicy,” Alec pleaded.

“We met at self-defense class, actually,” Lydia explained. “Isabelle kicked some guy's ass on the first try and I just had to ask her out. I thought she was turning me down when she replied by telling me she had never dated a girl, but then she surprised me by saying yes.”

“I figured one little date couldn't hurt. Besides, why knock it if you haven't tried it?” Izzy added.

“What she didn't know was that she was the first girl I'd ever been out with, too. I was hung up on this guy for the longest time... I had never even considered dating a girl. But when I saw her slam that guy onto the ground, I thought she was the most bad-ass person I'd ever seen and I wanted to get to know her better.”

“I'd say we're pretty well acquainted now, wouldn't you?” Izzy said with a wink to Lydia.

Alec let out a groan. “I don't want to hear about that,” he complained.

“You're spoiling all my fun!” Magnus complained, pouting at Alec.

“Yeah, Alec!” Izzy said, mimicking Magnus' pout. Alec exchanged a glance with Lydia, silently begging her to be on his side. He couldn't take it if it were three against one. Luckily, she understood.

“You guys, don't torture Alec. You wouldn't want to hear about his sex life, would you Izz?” Lydia asked.

“What sex life?” Izzy joked. Alec glowered at her, then glanced over when he felt Magnus straighten up next to him. He quickly realized why when the waitress reappeared with their drinks.

“Thanks, gorgeous,” Magnus purred at the waitress as she handed him his drink, her fingers brushing against his unnecessarily. Alec grabbed his beer from her and took a long swallow. It was going to take a lot of beer to get through the evening.

“Magnus, leave the poor waitress alone,” Izzy chastised. And god, did Alec love his sister sometimes.

“Oh, I don't mind,” Lindsay replied, grinning at Magnus.

Alec scowled at his beer bottle before taking another huge swallow.

The rest of the night was more of the same. Magnus quizzed Izzy and Lydia on their relationship and Alec ordered beer after beer, since the waitress was coming by their table often enough in order to continue her flirtations with Magnus, who was happily returning her attentions. If Magnus noticed that Alec's mood was becoming more and more dejected and grumpy throughout the evening, he showed no indication. He seemed to just be obliviously flirting with Lindsay, much to Alec's anger.

When the night was finally coming to a close, Lindsay came strutting back to their table, check in hand. Alec narrowed his eyes at the receipt when he noticed that she had scrawled her name and number, plain to see, at the bottom of the receipt. She slid the receipt over to Magnus, bending over just enough to show off her cleavage even more (as if anyone could miss it), which Magnus seemed to be admiring. Magnus winked at Lindsay before pocketing the receipt, then watched her saunter away.

“You can't be serious,” Alec grumbled angrily at Magnus.

“What?” Magnus asked in confusion, turning his attention away from Lindsay's ass and back to Alec.

“ _Her_?” Alec exclaimed. “Seriously?”

“Why not her?” Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow at Alec.

“Because she's... and we... I can't...” Alec stuttered, trying to find the words to express himself through the haze of alcohol. How many beers had he had? He couldn't remember.

“I thought she was pretty cute. Why shouldn't I go for it?” Magnus shrugged, cutting Alec off. Alec stared incredulously at Magnus, his face turning red in anger.

“You know what? Fuck this!” Alec exclaimed, shoving past Magnus in order to get out of the booth.

“Alec!” Magnus exclaimed in confusion. Magnus tried to grab Alec's arm, but he was quick to shrug him off. He needed to get out there. He couldn't breathe.

“No, I've had it. I can't believe you right now!”

Magnus reached out for Alec's arm again, but Alec pushed him away, shaking his head as he stormed toward the door of the bar. He ignored the concerned and confused looks Izzy and Lydia, who were still sitting at the booth, were shooting him. He knew he shouldn't be blowing up like this at Magnus in such a public place, but he was too upset and drunk to care.

“What is going on?” Magnus asked, his voice low, like he was approaching a wild animal. Alec couldn't remember the last time he had gotten this upset with Magnus. This was unfamiliar territory for both of them.

“You! Lindsay! The flirting, and now taking her number!”

“...What? You're upset about _that_?!”

“Yes!” Alec exclaimed, tugging at his hair in frustration.

“What does it matter if I flirted with her? You said yourself you just wanted to be friends tonight,” Magnus stated in confusion.

“I know that! But I'm giving up my whole life for you. I can't date anyone else while this is happening. I am doing this for you, in case you've forgotten. And you're not showing any gratitude.”

“You never date anyone, anyway!”

“That's not the point, Magnus,” Alec argued, pinching the bridge of his nose and squeezing his eyes shut in frustration.

“Is this because I’m bisexual? Would you act like this if I were flirting with a guy?” Magnus asked angrily.

“No, you idiot!” Alec yelled, throwing his hands up in the air. “You know I don't give a fuck that you're bisexual! It has nothing to do with that.”

“Then what is it?!” Magnus pleaded.

“It’s because you’re supposed to be with me!” Alec yelled, then turned on his heel and stormed off, leaving Magnus behind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't really have a posting schedule for this, but it looks like I'll probably post a chapter a week. Don't hold me to that, though. That's just been the pattern over the past few weeks. I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter- sorry about the angst. Please don't hate me. 
> 
> Leave a comment, if you feel like it. I love talking to you guys :)
> 
> Come find me on tumblr, too. Rafaellightwood-bane


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Your comments for the last chapter were lovely, so here! Have this super fast update! Yay!

_~And I'm gonna write it all down, and I'm gonna sing it on stage, but I don't have to fucking tell you anything~_  
Halsey - Strange Love

When Alec woke the next morning, he was completely disoriented. For one, he was definitely not in his own bed, or even his own apartment. And he knew that he wasn't in Magnus' apartment, either. First of all, the bed he was in didn't smell like Magnus, and second of all, Chairman Meow wasn't curled up on his chest.

It was bright outside, the sun shining glaringly through the window, and he could hear kids playing on the sidewalk, so he knew he had slept in well through the morning. His head was pounding, the room spinning around him any time he tried to look around and gather where he was. He had drunk way too much the night before- his biggest clue being that he had no idea where he was. Alec glanced down at himself and let out a sigh of relief when he saw that he was still dressed. So he hadn't hooked up with someone last night- _that_ , at least, was a relief. He remembered being at the bar and yelling at Magnus, remembered Magnus and that horrible waitress flirting back and forth until it drove Alec mad with jealousy. He remembered storming out of the bar and stumbling a few blocks away, until he had reached...

“Morning, sunshine!” A loud and overly chipper voice greeted from the bedroom door. Alec winced and held his head in his hands. And ok, now he definitely knew where he was. There was only one person who could be so annoying while sounding so smug about it.

“Why am I in your bed?” Alec groaned, his voice raspy. His mouth tasted like he'd swallowed something dead, and his stomach was making loud, unsettling, gurgling noises.

“Well, my friend. You came stumbling into my apartment drunk late last night. You kicked Clary out of my bed and then made yourself at home, claiming we were overdue for a sleepover. But, you see, I missed the part where we were ten years old again, or where I invited you over,” Jace explained. He made his way over to the bed and sat on the edge of it, careful to keep his distance from Alec. Alec didn't blame him- he was sure he reeked, if his breath was any indication. Alec pushed himself up so he was sitting upright, his back propped up against the headboard of the bed. He gratefully took the Tylenol and glass of water that Jace offered him.

“Fuck... I'm sorry,”Alec said before swallowing down the medicine. “Where's Clary?”

“She went home earlier this morning... after sleeping on my couch last night. You may have this unnatural dislike of my girlfriend, but you've got to give her props for respecting our friendship. Any other girl would have thrown a fit and probably broken up with me for letting you take the bed last night.”

“I'm sorry,” Alec sighed again. His eyes lit up, though, as Jace took the glass of water out of his hands and replaced it with a mug of coffee. He silently thanked his drunk self for choosing Jace over his other friends last night. No one else would have been so kind. Jace was always there for him, though. He always had been and he always would be. “I don't know what got into me last night.”

“I do. Magnus.”

Alec groaned and fell back against the mattress again. Jace darted forward and grabbed the mug of coffee before it could spill all over the sheets. “I'm guessing I talked a lot last night?” Alec asked sheepishly. He could only imagine the horrible things he had said about Magnus. And he felt terrible about it. He had been hurt and angry and jealous. He hated that anyone had seen him like that- especially Izzy and Lydia. He would have to make it up to Lydia so she wouldn't break up with his sister over her crazy family... it was bad enough she had already been dragged to a Lightwood brunch, but now Alec had made a scene in a public bar. Oh yeah, he would definitely have to grovel later.

“You didn't say much besides 'fuck Magnus' and 'I hate Magnus and his man-whoring ways.'”

“Man-whoring ways?” Alec asked, raising an eyebrow at Jace.

“Ok, ok- my words, not yours. You were much less eloquent last night. So, tell me, what happened.”

“Nothing new,” Alec sighed. “He just showed interest in someone who's not me... again.”

“Except it's different this time, because this time he was flirting with someone else while pretending to date you in the process,” Jace pointed out. “Which, I'll remind you, I have been firmly against from the start. Because I'm the smart one, and the handsome one, and the talented one... we'll find something for you eventually...” Jace joked, causing Alec to sit up again so he could punch him in the arm.

"Remember that time you had a crush on me when you were 13?" Jace asked suddenly. Alec let out a loud groan.

"Seriously, Jace? Do we really have to talk about that right now?"

Jace ignored him and kept talking, like always. "You were crazy about me, and you never said a word. Not one word. You never brought it up- not until you were 20. I mean, I knew, but you still never said a word. Alec... You bottle up your feelings. Which, whatever, I'm used to it. But bottling all of that up, it's torture on yourself. You hated being in the closet, Alec. And then you came out and your life got so much better, so much easier. We could finally talk about your feelings for me and joke about them and you were able to truly put them behind you. But now you're doing the same thing all over again with Magnus."

"This isn't the same," Alec argued.

"I know. Because what you felt for me was a teenage crush. And what you feel for Magnus..."

"Is forever," Alec sighed.

"All I'm saying is, don't keep it bottled up forever. It's killing you, man. And I hate seeing you like this. You deserve to be loved."

"Then why doesn't he love me?" Alec choked out.

Jace sighed and silently pulled him into a hug.

 

* * *

 

After showering at Jace's apartment, forcing himself to eat something, and calling Clary to apologize, Alec had no choice but to head home. Alec made his way up the staircase of his building and stood frozen in the hall between his door and Magnus'.

Alec hesitated outside his door, his heart racing, before he let out a sigh and dug Magnus' key out of his pocket. He stood in front of Magnus' door, fear overtaking him. After Alec had left things last night, there was a very real chance that he wouldn't be welcome in Magnus' apartment. He shouldn't just let himself in like he normally would. Alec let out another sigh and pocketed Magnus' key again, before hesitantly knocking on the door. He held his breath, ready for the worst. He knew he deserved it after the way he had yelled at Magnus the night before.

He was surprised by how quickly Magnus opened the door, as if he had been waiting for Alec to show up.

Magnus looked horrible. His eyes were red and swollen, his hair was standing on all ends, and he looked like he had stayed up all night crying. And fuck, Alec had never wanted to make Magnus cry. He imagined he looked just as horrible, though. He definitely _felt_ how Magnus looked.

Alec stood silently outside of Magnus' door, nervously waiting to hear what Magnus would say to him, but it quickly became apparent that Magnus was waiting for Alec to make the first move- was waiting to see what Alec had to say for himself, what Alec was thinking and where they now stood.

They never fought, so this was completely unfamiliar territory for both of them. They had no idea how to make up because they'd never had to before. They'd had petty arguments and bantered back and forth, but never fought to this magnitude.

Not the mention, Alec had laid his heart on the line last night. He couldn't take those words back now. It was up to Magnus what happened next, and that was absolutely terrifying. Would Magnus even want to be friends with him anymore? Could he possibly want to try for something more? Would he turn away from Alec in disgust? Was it possible he felt the same way? There were a million questions running around in Alec's mind, and still they stood there, silently waiting.

Finally, Alec couldn't stand the silence and tension anymore and just had to say _something_.

"I'm sorry," Alec choked out. Magnus immediately and without hesitation pulled him into a crushing hug, holding on to him for dear life, his head buried against Alec's neck. Alec rested his head atop Magnus' and let out a shaky breath as he breathed in the familiar scent of Magnus- how he smelled like home and how his arms around him were the most comforting weight in the world, and how could he have risked messing that up over something so stupid? He didn't know what he would do if he lost Magnus. "I'm so sorry. I hate it when we fight. I'm sorry."

"It's ok. I forgive you," Magnus reassured. "I've got you."

"I'm so sorry," Alec kept repeating.

"I'm sorry, too," Magnus murmured, rubbing Alec's back comfortingly as he held him. "I'm sorry. I was being selfish and so unfair to you. You were right. You've put your whole life on hold for me and this stupid scheme and I was carrying on without a care in the world and with no regard for what you're doing for me. I was selfish and ungrateful."

"No, Magnus, I'm the only one who should be apologizing right now. I was drunk and angry and I shouldn't have lashed out at you like that, no matter what I was feeling."

"No, you shouldn't have. But it wasn't without provocation. From now on, I'm putting my life on hold, too. I asked you to do this for me and you graciously agreed. So now all my focus will be on you."

"You don't have to do that, Magnus. You can date other people. It was wrong of me to try to stop you."

"You won't have to stop me. When you said I'm supposed to be with you, it made me realize... what's the point of all this lying if someone were to spot me out with someone else? You were right- I was being stupid and selfish and reckless last night, and you put me in my place. We can't very well convince our friends we had an amicable breakup if I'm caught 'cheating.' I don't want to mess things up. I promised to put you first, and I've been slacking. But I'm sticking to that promise now. I never meant to hurt you. I love you, Alec."

And there it was. The three words that Alec wanted to hear from Magnus more than anything else in the world. It would be so easy to reply with the truth- to tell Magnus that he didn't just love him back, but that he was _in_ love with him. He could open his mouth and reveal everything he was feeling, explain why he had gotten so angry last night. He could explain that he wasn't hurt because Magnus wasn't paying attention to him in their fake relationship, but because he wasn't getting attention from him in a _real_ relationship, not like Lindsay had the night before. Now was the perfect opportunity to finally reveal the truth and let it all out. But no. That's not what Magnus needed in that moment. Magnus needed comfort and love and forgiveness and reassurance that everything would be ok- he needed Alec as his friend. So Alec did what he always did; he put Magnus first and gave him exactly what he needed.

"I love you, too,” Alec murmured, and allowed Magnus to pull him into his apartment.

 

* * *

 

By the time Alec left Magnus' apartment later that night, he had over fifteen missed calls from Izzy.

He wasn't surprised- he should have known that after his outburst the night before, she would be desperate to talk to him. He shut his apartment door firmly behind him and immediately called her back.

“Alec, oh thank god. I would have just come straight over to your place, but I didn't know if you would even be there. How are you? Are you ok? Did you and Magnus work things out yet?”

“One question at a time, Izz,” Alec replied. He was emotionally exhausted after the day he'd had. He and Magnus had talked and talked and Magnus had truly listened and heard him out. Magnus finally seemed to see how difficult all this pretending was for Alec, even if he didn't seem to understand why. Magnus had even offered to end their fake relationship. He had sworn he would do anything to protect their friendship and put Alec first. The problem was, Alec would do the same for Magnus. So he had agreed to keep pretending for another month, like they planned. The difference, though, was that Magnus was going to be completely focused on Alec from now on. He swore that Alec would come first and Magnus wouldn't even consider anyone else during the next month. Alec wasn't sure if that made him feel better or worse. A part of him was elated at the thought of receiving Magnus' undivided attention, another part of him was terrified. “I'm... ok. I just left Magnus'. We're good. We worked it out.”

“Oh my god!” Izzy screamed. “So you're... you guys talked? He knows? He knows everything? And you guys are good? Oh my god, Alec, I'm so proud of you!”

“No, Izz... that's not what... I meant, we're not fighting anymore. But we didn't talk about... _that_.”

“...What? How do you work everything out without bringing up the elephant in the room?” Izzy asked.

“Because when I told Magnus he was supposed to be with me, he thought I meant in terms of our fake relationship. He thought I was upset because he wasn't considering how much I was giving up for him by doing this, and that he wasn't treating me with the same respect that I was giving him, which is true, actually. But he didn't realize I meant.... you know.”

Alec heard Izzy sigh over the phone. He knew how she felt. Jace's words echoed in his head: _'don't keep it bottled up forever.'_ It was easier said than done.

“Alec, you have to tell him.”

“No,” Alec responded quickly. “No, I can't. I just... I can't. If he interpreted what I said in some other way, then I'll let him. Izz- last night I had a taste of fighting with Magnus and what life would be like without him, and I hated it. I never want to risk losing him again. And if that means hiding my feelings from him forever, then that's what I'll do.” Alec would do anything to keep Magnus in his life. He refused to risk losing him ever again. He would fight for their friendship in any way possible.

“Alec... what if he loves you back?” Izzy asked.

“Don't,” Alec cut her off. He couldn't think like that. He couldn't get his hopes up. Plus, Magnus had made it pretty clear last night that he didn't feel the same. Lindsay had proven that.

“But Alec-”

“No, Izzy. He doesn't love me back. That's just the way it is. I've accepted it, and you need to, too. He's my best friend. He'll always be in my life. And I can be happy with that.”

“Can you, though?”

“Yes,” Alec said firmly. There was no way around it. He just needed to get through this next month, and then maybe he could finally find someone he could love second best. He could still be happy. As long as he had Magnus by his side, he knew he'd be fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Right, so, time for some personal life banter. Two of my three roommates are suddenly moving out, which means I will be meeting with potential roommates every single night over the next 3 weeks (that being said, if you guys know anyone living in NYC, send them my way...). And after we get two new people moved in, I'm going to a music festival. And two days after the music festival, my dad is coming up to visit. 
> 
> SO- I'm writing as much as I can now so I can get ahead a bit. I apologize for any delays in updates over the next month, though. Should get back to regular updates once we're two weeks into June.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PART OF MY CHAPTER DIDN'T POST AGHHHHHH. If you got here super early and noticed that there was a section missing, it's all up there now. So sorry about that! I have no idea what went wrong.

“Ok, so explain to me what this event is again?” Alec asked as Magnus fussed over the collar of his shirt. Alec thought his outfit looked fine as it was, but he learned long ago to never question Magnus when it came to fashion.

“It's a party, Alexander, not rocket science,” Magnus huffed. Alec quickly made the decision to let Magnus' sass go unpunished, since he knew Magnus was stressing out about not just getting himself ready, but Alec too.

“I know that,” Alec said, rolling his eyes at Magnus. “I meant, why are we going? Who do we need to impress?”

“It's one of our company's biggest clients. They're hosting a party and have graciously invited us. There will be a lot of alcohol, freebies, mingling, and fighting for the attention of all the big names there. Don't let the word 'party' fool you. This event will be a slaughter-house. Our client will have some extremely influential guests in attendance, and we need them to want to wear and represent our brand. Just because it's a party doesn't mean we're not doing business. Just let me do all the talking. All I need from you is to stand there and look pretty.”

“Gee, thanks,” Alec deadpanned. He lightly slapped Magnus' hands away when he started fussing with his hair. His hair was fine, thank you very much. He didn't need Magnus messing it up. Magnus huffed at him, but let it go, turning his attention back to fixing his own hair.

“Craig will be there, and I don't have time for distractions tonight. If he tries to approach me, just lay it on thick so he'll back off. I can't juggle impressing everyone I need to and selling our designs if I'm trying to get him to back off, too.”

“Do you really think he'll try anything with me there, though?” Alec asked.

“This is Craig we're talking about here. He's a pig. He may have gotten the message that I am definitely taken, but that doesn't mean he'll back off all together. It just means he'll be a bit more coy and secretive with his advances. I imagine an affair is a thrilling idea to him.”

“That's disgusting,” Alec commented, thinking of his own parent's marital situation, and how his father had an affair, thus ruining their marriage. He could never understand why someone would want to get mixed up in that.

“My thoughts exactly, Alexander. Just, stay close to me all night. Be cute and make it clear we're there together, but don't be all over me, either. We need to remain professional, but I absolutely want it to be clear to everyone in attendance that you are my date. You're gorgeous, so you'll draw attention to us, and we need the guests to want to come to us. We don't want to appear desperate for their business.”

Alec smirked and wrapped his arms around Magnus from behind, reaching around him to tie his bow-tie for him (Magnus was useless at tying a bow-tie, a surprising quirk that Alec found adorable from someone who was so high and mighty when it came to fashion), before pressing a kiss to Magnus' cheek. He smiled at their reflection in the mirror looking back at them, wrapped in each other's arms. He had to admit that they made a lovely picture together. “Like this?” He asked. His smile grew when he spotted the faint blush on Magnus' cheeks.

“Perfect,” Magnus said softly, grinning at Alec. “I am definitely buying you that island.”

“I'm holding you to that,” Alec smiled, releasing Magnus from his hold. “You ready?”

“I was born ready,” Magnus smirked.

 

* * *

 

Magnus was dragged away from Alec within seconds of entering the door of the venue. He pressed a quick kiss to Alec's cheek and whispered a promise to find him soon after making a quick round of the room.

Alec briefly panicked at being left alone. He quickly found the nearest wall and glued himself to it, feeling completely overwhelmed. Parties were more Magnus' thing than his- he never knew what to do at a party without Magnus there to guide him. And this party was definitely out of his comfort zone. The decorations were golden and extravagant and sparkling and probably cost more than a year's rent for his apartment. Everyone was dressed in the nicest (and most ridiculous) clothes Alec had ever seen. And the venue, despite being large enough to hold an entire football stadium, was packed over capacity. Alec had height on his side, though, so he was able to gaze over the heads of everyone and keep track of Magnus.

Magnus was undeniably the most gorgeous person in the room. Maybe Alec was a bit biased, but he would fight anyone who tried to argue him on that point. Magnus was radiant. He was practically glowing as he made the rounds, shaking people's hands, giving air kisses, and swapping the latest gossip. Magnus was a natural- something Alec envied, but also loved about him. Where Alec was more reserved and shy, Magnus could work a room like he owned it. They balanced one another perfectly in that respect.

After about ten minutes had passed, Alec saw Magnus begin to look around the room, as if he were looking for someone. Alec's heart gave a jolt as he realized he was looking for him- his date.

Alec built up the courage to peel himself off the wall and head into the hoards of people. He made a quick stop at the bar to grab himself a beer and a martini for Magnus, before weaving through the crowd to get to his date.

“Hey,” Alec murmured, surprising Magnus as he came up to him from behind. “Looking for me?”

“Oh, thank god. I thought I'd never see you again,” Magnus joked. He smiled his thanks at Alec as he was handed his drink. “I knew this would be a big party, but holy shit... I'm really going to have to work my magic tonight.”

“You'll own the room, just like you always do,” Alec reassured. “You're magical.”

“What would I do without you, Alexander?” Magnus sighed wistfully.

“Good thing you'll never have to find out,” Alec winked. He wrapped an arm around Magnus' waist. His heart threatened to beat out of his chest as Magnus leaned into Alec's body, their bodies radiating warmth as they stood pressed together. Alec looked down at Magnus fondly, who tilted his head up and pressed a kiss to Alec's chin. The moment was interrupted though as someone approached them.

Magnus quickly smiled at them and exclaimed a warm greeting, while Alec played the part of dutiful boyfriend.

In actuality, Alec tuned out most of the conversation- he couldn't really care less about fashion. He smiled and nodded and agreed with Magnus when it called for that, but his job for the night was to provide support for Magnus and to ward off any creeps; not to talk fashion. He would leave all of that to Magnus.

Alec, despite all of his recent struggles in regards to his feelings for Magnus, was feeling good about their act. Magnus seemed to think that people would only approach them for Alec's good looks, but Alec knew better. Magnus was gorgeous, and he was completely in his element at this party, which meant that Alec had to play the boyfriend card and lay it on thick the entire evening to ward off any potential suitors. Any time it became clear that someone had approached Magnus to flirt instead of talk business, Alec would play the part and squeeze Magnus closer until the man or woman got the hint that they were there together. And Magnus, much to Alec's delight, would do the same if anyone approached Alec to flirt. He loved the idea of Magnus being possessive, of him showing and telling people that Alec was his and his alone.

And, ok, yeah, maybe Alec wasn't doing as great as he thought. On one hand, it was so easy to pretend to be Magnus' boyfriend. It felt so natural and real and right... and that was the problem. After about two hours of canoodling with Magnus, brushing kisses to cheeks, wrapping their arms around each other, and acting completely loved up, Alec needed a break. He was feeling overwhelmed and needed a breath of fresh air.

When there was finally a bit of a lull in the party, Alec excused himself for the bathroom- but really he stepped outside for a moment to regroup and regain his breath.

There was a gorgeous lake out back of the venue- fairy lights decorated a gazebo, where a passionate couple seemed to be enjoying themselves a little too much. Alec blushed and looked away, gazing instead out at the water. It was a pleasant evening, and he immediately felt relief from the crowd and his feelings for Magnus upon just breathing in the crisp night air.

All of that was instantly ruined, however, at the appearance of the last person Alec wanted to see.

“Well, if it isn't the infamous Alec,” a voice drawled from behind Alec. Alec turned to see who was talking to him and rolled his eyes when he saw that it was Craig.

“What do you want, Craig?” Alec sighed.

“Oh, I think you know what I want,” Craig replied with a wink.

“Too bad you'll never get it,” Alec deadpanned.

“That's what you think. But what you don't realize is that I always get what I want.”

And god, did Alec really hate this guy. Craig was obviously the kind of guy who wasn't used to hearing the word no, which Alec didn't understand. Craig wasn't even that attractive. He was short and obviously a fake blond and the only word Alec could think of to describe him was “greasy.” Craig's horrible personality wasn't doing him any favors, either. Alec gave Craig an obvious once-over. “Well, that's a surprise,” he commented, earning a glare from Craig.

“You think this is funny, do you? But, you see, when push comes to shove, I'll be the last one laughing.”

“You just keep telling yourself that,” Alec grumbled, rolling his eyes again. He made to move past Craig- he was tired of this conversation. But Craig quickly blocked off his exit. Alec raised his eyebrows incredulously at Craig.

“Magnus isn't the type that can be tied down. He's extravagant. He needs someone who can spoil him and treat him right,” Craig carried on, like he didn't even notice Alec trying to walk away. And god, was Craig going to regret not letting Alec walk away.

“Don't act like you know anything about my boyfriend. You don't know who he is or what he needs,” Alec spat at Craig, narrowing his eyes at him. This guy was so pathetic. He didn't have a clue.

“Don't I, though? Because I'd wager he needs a good, hard fucking. And I'm just the one to give it to him.”

Alec dropped his drink to the ground and shoved Craig up against the side of the venue in a blink of an eye, pinning him to the wall with his arm pushed against his throat. He gave a daunting smile when he saw the smirk wiped right off the little bastard's face.

“Don't you ever, ever talk about him that way. I don't want to hear you say his name. I don't want to catch you looking at him. I don't even want to hear from Magnus that you've been breathing the same air as him. Do you understand?”

Silence. Alec pushed Craig harder against the wall, earning a wince from the other man. “Answer me. Do you understand?” Alec repeated.

Craig let out a raspy “yes.” Alec dropped him to the ground, leaving Craig gasping for breath.

“Fuck off, Craig. We're done for tonight,” Alec said, then turned and walked away, back to Magnus, without looking back.

 

* * *

 

“There you are, darling! I was starting to think you fell into the lake out back,” Magnus teased when Alec rejoined him in the party. Alec nodded his greeting to the couple Magnus had been speaking to, then gently pulled Magnus off to the side, excusing them from the conversation.

“What's the matter?” Magnus asked, immediately sensing that something was wrong. And Alec wasn't surprised that Magnus was so quick to see that something was the matter- he was more wound up now than before he had left the party to cool off. And he had told Magnus he was just going to the bathroom, but he'd been gone for almost twenty minutes now.

“I just did something stupid,” Alec murmured. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, rubbing at his eyes in frustration. “Shit,” Alec breathed, realizing just how stupid he had been. Magnus was going to be pissed.

Magnus raised an eyebrow at him, tilting his head to the side. “Explain,” he commanded.

“I pinned Craig to the wall-”

“Oh my god, please don't finish that sentence.”

“-and threatened him.”

Magnus' eyes went wide. “Alec!” he hissed.

“I know!” Alec groaned. “I'm sorry. He just pissed me off.”

“Yeah, I get that. He's a twerp. But you can't just threaten people at a party!”

“I don't think anyone saw,” Alec said sheepishly.

“You better hope not,” Magnus replied sternly.

“It's just, the things he was saying about you... it was...” Alec sighed, breaking off. He didn't even want to repeat what Craig had said. Magnus didn't need to hear that.

“What did he say?” Magnus asked.

“It's not worth repeating. He's not worth it. I shouldn't have reacted like that... he was trying to get a reaction out of me and I gave it to him. But I couldn't just stand there and let him talk about you like th-

Alec was abruptly cut off by Magnus pulling him into his arms, squeezing him tightly.

“Wh... what are you doing?” Alec asked in confusion, relaxing into the hug, regardless.

“Thanking you,” Magnus replied simply. He pulled away from Alec, but not before leaning up to press a kiss to his cheek. “I'm still cross with you, though."

Alec gave Magnus a huge smile, beaming with pride. He knew Magnus was more than capable of standing up for himself, but he loved being recognized as the hero sometimes.

“You're welcome,” Alec said happily. Apparently Alec looked too pleased with himself though, because Magnus smacked him across his chest with the back of his hand. “Ouch!” Alec exclaimed, glaring at Magnus. 

“But don't you ever do that again!” Magnus reprimanded. Alec bit his lip nervously, but broke into a smile again when Magnus gave him a fond smile and winked at him. Alec reached out for Magnus and pulled him into another hug. Magnus fit against his body perfectly- it was like they were made for each other. He put Craig out of his mind and just relaxed into this perfect moment with Magnus. He rest his head atop of Magnus', his arms tracing patterns onto Magnus' back.

“I'm not going to lie, Alexander. You defending my honor is kind of hot,” Magnus flirted, his cheek resting against Alec's chest.

Alec flushed bright red and bit his lip again nervously. “Oh yeah?” He teased back.

“Don't let it go to your head, though,” Magnus grinned, tilting his head up so Alec could see his face. Alec smiled brightly back at him as Magnus grabbed his hand and pulled him back into the crowd of people.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, so that took a while... You guys are a super patient bunch, and I love you all for it. Thank you for sticking with me through all the craziness. Life is finally leveling out a bit, so hopefully I'll start having more regular updates for you soon. I have a long weekend coming up, so maybe the next chapter will only take a week to get up for you guys ;)
> 
> Thanks for sticking with this and for all of your lovely comments and observations! I love reading your thoughts and theories on this story! 
> 
> Come say hi on tumblr! Rafaellightwood-bane.


	9. Chapter 9

“Magnus!” Magnus pulled his phone away from his ear as a loud, obnoxious voice yelled at him. Alec rolled his eyes and grabbed the phone from Magnus' hand, holding it up to his ear.

“Hey, Simon,” Alec greeted, because who else could it be if they were greeting Magnus that loudly?

“Oh! Shit! Alec! I didn't interrupt anything, did I? Oh god, you guys are probably in bed right now and I just called and interrupted-”

Alec's eyes went wide and he shook his head, even though Simon couldn't see him. “No! Simon, we're not.... _doing that_. It's 3 in the afternoon,” Alec stated adamantly.

“Well, how am I supposed to know? Raphael and I go at it at all times of th-”

Alec rolled his eyes as he heard a struggle on the other end of the line and a lot of cursing in Spanish. It seemed Raphael was just as unhappy about having his sex life shared with his friends as Alec was to hear about it.

“Alec?” Raphael finally asked when he had gained control of the phone.

“Raphael?” Alec asked, trying (and failing) to keep the amusement out of his voice.

“Simon called to tell you that the band has a gig tonight and he wants you and Magnus to come, if you're free.”

Alec glanced over at Magnus, who was watching the conversation play out with an amused expression.

“You free tonight?” Alec asked Magnus, pulling the phone away from his mouth. He already knew the answer, though. It was Saturday night, which meant their plan was to stay in and watch a movie while eating take-out, unless Magnus came up with a crazier idea and forced Alec to tag along.

“Free as a bird,” Magnus replied.

“We're in,” Alec said to Raphael.

“Great. Now excuse me while I have a talk with Simon about what is appropriate to share with our friends.”

“You do that,” Alec chuckled. He hung up and handed the phone back to Magnus, but not before smiling down at the wallpaper on the phone; it was a picture of the two of them, their cheeks pressed together and smiling happily at the camera. Alec hated taking selfies, but Magnus loved it, and had forced him to take this picture with him. It was a great picture, Alec had to admit. They looked happy.

“The Melting Pot is playing tonight. Simon wants us to come,” Alec explained. The Melting Pot was the newest name of Simon's band, appropriately named because of the diverse group of members. The band consisted of Simon (a gay Jew), Maureen (a straight, African American woman), Izzy (a bisexual, apparently, woman), and Jordan (a straight, white, surfer boy). The way Simon saw it, they were basically the embodiment of the American dream. Alec just thought they were a bunch of idiots.

But Izzy loved the band, and Alec liked meeting up with his friends to watch them play- so he ignored how horrible the band was and made his ears suffer occasionally in order to be supportive. Magnus, on the other hand, thought the band was “quaint” if not a little terrifying.

Alec grabbed Magnus' arm and tugged him, pulling him back down into a laying position on the couch, his head resting in his lap. Alec began running his fingers through Magnus' hair and hit play on the movie they had been watching before Simon called and interrupted. They had time to finish the movie before they would need to get ready and head out to the club. And Alec didn't want to waste a minute of this quiet time with Magnus- just the two of them being themselves, no one watching them or judging their every move as “boyfriends.” He had missed moments like this since they started “fake dating.” It was comfortable and homey and normal lazing about on the couch on a Saturday afternoon with Magnus (and Chairman Meow, who was soundly napping at the other end of the couch)- it was what they had done together for years.

“Did Simon think he was interrupting us having sex?” Magnus asked, chuckling as he stared up at Alec. Alec looked down at him and let out a laugh.

“Yeah,” he answered.

“I should have thrown in a few gasps in the background. Just to really freak him out,” Magnus teased. Alec rolled his eyes.

“If you ever answered the phone while having sex, I would never talk to you again,” Alec warned.

“As exciting as sex can be, I prefer to keep it in the bedroom. Don't worry,” Magnus grinned.

Alec, having heard enough about Magnus' sex life, pointedly turned his attention back to the movie. He tugged gently on Magnus' hair, and Magnus smiled up at him before snuggling more comfortably in Alec's lap and closing his eyes for a quick cat-nap. 

 

* * *

 

The Melting Pot had just taken the stage when Magnus and Alec arrived at the club. It was a regular venue for the band- a coffee shop by day, dance club by night. It had been one of their favorite college hangouts, and the band had been playing there as regulars for years now. They'd actually gathered quite a following over the years (Raphael being their number one fan, not that the surly man would ever admit it). Raphael was at every last show The Melting Pot played, always standing front and center in the crowd- but he would kill you if you ever called him out on it.

Alec loved seeing how much Raphael loved Simon; you would never be able to tell from how they bickered with one another, or constantly fought and broke up then got back together then fought and broke up and got back together all over again. But it was in the way they supported one another and watched out for one another... that's how you knew that their love was real and unbreakable and would last forever.

Alec often wondered if Raphael was just as prickly when it was just him and Simon together, or if Simon brought out a different, softer side in him. Either way, Simon was crazy about him, and Alec knew the feeling was mutual, no matter how much Raphael pretended and wanted you to believe it wasn't.

Alec found their relationship amusing, but he honestly looked up to it. He looked up to them as a couple. They were quiet about their love for each other, but if you knew what to look for, it was there, plain as day. Even though he would never comment to Raphael about being at every show, the fact remained that Raphael was always there, cheering Simon on.

Magnus was quick to find Raphael at the front of the stage upon their arrival, since he knew exactly where to look for him. Magnus squeezed Alec's arm and pulled away from him to go say hi to Raphael and Ragnor.

Alec was constantly amused by Magnus' friends- Magnus was the liveliest person he'd ever met, so seeing him interact with his old friends Ragnor and Raphael was always an interesting thing to behold. Ragnor and Raphael as friends made sense. Ragnor and Raphael and Magnus... not so much. But, they'd been friends for years, and their bond was unbreakable. As much as Ragnor and Raphael liked to team up and be surly and grumpy together and tease Magnus, Magnus could give back just as good, and they always supported one another and had each other's backs.

Alec turned away from Magnus and searched the room for his friends. He waved to Izzy on stage, who smiled back at him. Izzy must have seen him looking around, because she nodded her head toward the crowd, and Alec turned to look at who she was indicating to. Alec smiled when he saw Lydia in the crowd, standing next to Jace and Clary. Alec made his way over to them, weaving through the crowd. It looked like Izzy's roommate, Maia was there, too- she was dating Jordan, who was the lead singer in the band. Alec didn't know Maia very well, though, but he gave her a small wave in greeting.

"Hey!" Alec shouted at Jace over the music.

Clary shouted in excitement when she saw him, and Jace pulled him into a hug, patting him firmly on the back.

“This your first show?” Alec asked Lydia as he pulled away from Jace. He recognized the look on her face as the same one he wore the first time he heard The Melting Pot perform. She looked like she didn't know whether to cringe from the horrible sound the band was producing, pretend to be enjoying the music, or to swoon at how hot her girlfriend looked behind drums.

“Is it always like this?” Lydia asked in response. Alec simply grinned at her, bobbing his head in time with the music.

Alec jumped when he felt arms wrap around his waist from behind.

"Dance with me," Magnus murmured into Alec's ear, so only he could hear.

Alec smiled and turned in Magnus' arms, swaying to the music with him.

“They're all playing in the same key tonight! I'm impressed,” Magnus teased, his arms wrapped tightly around Alec. Alec chuckled, smiling down at Magnus.

"How's Raphael? Still pretending like he hates being here?" Alec asked.

"Of course. But he can't lie to me. It's all over his face how much he loves it. He thinks Simon's the hottest guitarist he's ever seen," Magnus said, smiling back at Alec. "Ragnor actually sided with me for once and helped me tease Raphael about it. The poor sod is completely smitten."

"You have to admit it's kind of cute," Alec chuckled. Plus, Alec was relieved that Ragnor sided with Magnus for once and teased Raphael, instead of Raphael and Ragnor ganging up on Magnus. Normally they liked to tease him about his “relationship” with Alec, even though he and Magnus always insisted they were just friends. And now that they were “together,” Alec could only imagine how much worse the teasing must have been lately.

"Cute, but confusing... I don't think I'll ever understand their relationship," Magnus said.

"Probably not," Alec shrugged.

Just at that moment, The Melting Pot began playing their most popular song, causing the crowd to scream and rush toward the stage, pushing Magnus and Alec even closer together. Alec's body was pressed flush up against Magnus', his arms resting against the curve of Magnus' back, right above his ass. If he moved his hands just an inch lower, he'd be groping him, palming the ass he'd spent so much time admiring. Alec wanted nothing more than to tug Magnus even closer, for Magnus to consume him.

Before he pull Magnus closer against him, though, Magnus took a step closer on his own, their thighs now intertwined and their groins pressed together. Alec took a shaky breath, his whole body tingling at having Magnus pressed against him, heat and electricity pushing Alec's senses into overdrive. Alec let out a gasp as Magnus started moving again, their bodies grinding together to the beat.

Alec's breath was coming out in pants as he felt Magnus... everywhere. They were as close as they could get, dancing together the way Alec had always watched Magnus dance with others.

Alec buried his face in Magnus' neck. He felt Magnus shiver as his breath cooled his overheated skin. His lips softly brushed against his skin and he could taste the sweat rolling down Magnus' neck, could feel goosebumps trailing wherever his lips touched. He could hear Magnus panting into his ear, their bodies moving together like they were born to be together.

Alec forgot about everything and everyone else. They weren't in a crowded club. They weren't dancing in a crowded room with their friends nearby. All of Alec's attention was tuned to Magnus' body, to his scent, to the way he moved against him, to the sound of the little, breathy exhalations Magnus was making. They were just Alec and Magnus, moving together in a way that was so intense and hot and sensual that Alec could barely stand it. Magnus' hands swept down Alec's back and brushed under his shirt, his nails scratching lightly at his skin. Alec tilted his head down, not surprised to see Magnus staring right back at him, his eyes so dilated they looked completely black. Their lips were less than an inch apart, their breath mixing together as they practically panted into one another's mouths. Alec rested his forehead against Magnus', and Magnus let out a quiet sigh as they continued to grind together. And yeah, Alec was definitely starting to get hard, and there was no way Magnus couldn't feel that, their groins were pressed so tightly together.

He could feel Magnus, too. Magnus was reacting just like he was, and Alec let out a groan as he felt Magnus' hard length rub against his thigh as they ground together. The dancing and closeness was too much, but Alec needed more. He knew it was a natural reaction for both of them to have, to grow hard while their bodies were so close, pressed together. But it still felt incredible, and he felt dizzy knowing Magnus was reacting to this the same way he was, that he was causing Magnus to be so turned on.

Alec gasped as he moved closer to Magnus' mouth, their lips nearly brushing. Alec could practically taste Magnus already, could feel the heat radiating off of Magnus' body. Alec closed his eyes and let his lips barely brush against Magnus' in a whisper of a kiss, before jerking back, shocked back into reality like a bucket of ice water being dumped over his head. He was so caught up in the moment, in his physical desires, that he had almost acted without thinking, had almost destroyed everything with one kiss. And he knew Magnus would have gone along with it, too. They were both turned on from dancing and from being so close- he knew if he wanted to, they could go back to one of their apartments right then and hook up... that he would get no complaints or arguments from Magnus. But they weren't thinking clearly, and if they took that step and hooked up, it would ruin everything. He had to stop it, if only to save their relationship. “I'm sorry,” Alec gasped, pulling his body away from Magnus'. He pulled out of Magnus' grasp and quickly shoved his way through the crowd. 

“Alec!”

Alec ignored his name being called and kept pushing through the crowd. He had to get out of there. He needed to start thinking straight again, he couldn't let his desire for Magnus cloud his judgement. When Alec burst out of the front doors of the club, he felt a hand grab his arm, pulling him to a stop. He realized then that he hadn't just been followed outside by Magnus, but by Jace, too. Jace must have witnessed the whole thing, witnessed Alec's moment of weakness. Alec felt sick. Alec looked down at Magnus' feet and tugged his arm out of Jace's grasp.

“I'm sorry, I'm just not feeling well,” Alec lied. He knew Magnus would see right through it, but he would worry about that another time. For now, he just had to make his escape before he did something stupid that he could never take back.

“Do you want me to take you home?” Magnus asked, stepping forward and reaching out to lay a comforting hand on Alec's arm. Alec sprung back like Magnus' touch would burn him. He couldn't leave with Magnus tonight. Because if they left together, he knew there would be no going back.

“No!” Alec exclaimed, then cleared his throat awkwardly. “I mean, no, thank you. That's ok. I made plans to sleep at Jace's tonight,” Alec lied, turning to Jace and silently pleading with him to go along with it.

“Yeah, sorry, Magnus. He's all mine tonight,” Jace played along.

“Are you sure you're ok? I thought-”

“I'll be ok. It just got a little too hot in there,” Alec said, and that, at least, was the truth. It had been way too hot, and sexy, and sensual, and god, he had gotten so close to crossing that line he promised himself he would never cross. If he had taken that step, he never would have been able to take it back, and he and Magnus would never be the same again. Magnus had clouded his judgement, and he had almost made a terrible mistake because of it.

“I'll see you tomorrow, ok?” Alec asked. 

And god, Magnus looked so hurt and confused and small and Alec hated himself in that moment for not just grabbing Magnus and kissing him and taking him back to his apartment... but he knew he was doing what was best for both of them. Rejection never felt good, Alec knew that, but this rejection was for the sake of their friendship. And he knew once Magnus cooled off and let the lust fade away, he would see that, too.

“Ok,” Magnus agreed quietly.

Alec wanted to pull Magnus into a hug and brush a kiss against his cheek, to reassure him that everything would be fine between them, but he didn't trust himself to be close to him. Not while his body was still tingling and he could still feel the heat of Magnus' breath on his lips from their almost kiss.

So Alec closed his eyes and took a deep breath, then turned and walked away with Jace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah.... sorry about that.... 
> 
> Leave your thoughts down below :)


	10. Chapter 10

_~These days I can't seem to make this right. Well is this fine? Will you be all right?~_  
Halsey – Strange Love

“So... you and Magnus?” Jace asked as he and Alec entered his apartment. Alec let out a groan and made his way to the kitchen. He needed water, then a cold shower- yes, definitely a cold shower... he could still feel Magnus' touch all over his body. His blood was still pumping ferociously through his body, and his skin was still tingling.

Alec poured himself a glass of water and drank half of it down, delaying his response.

“Seeing you dancing with Magnus, I thought maybe you guys had talked it out, finally figured out your feelings for one another,” Jace carried on while Alec drank his water.

Alec sighed and dropped his glass into the sink before heading over to the couch. He needed to sit down for this conversation. And he needed to not _have_ this conversation, but he knew there was no avoiding it, so he might as well get it over with.

“He doesn't have feelings for me, Jace,” Alec repeated, feeling like a broken-record. “It's one-sided. You know this.”

“No, _you_ know this. Or, assume it, I mean. And it sure as hell didn't look one-sided to me.”

“Ok. So maybe he was into it, too,” Alec conceded. He had known for a fact that Magnus was into- had literally felt his desire against his thigh as they rubbed against each other. But Jace didn't need to know that.

“Maybe?” Jace asked, raising an eyebrow at Alec.

Alec sighed and ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Ok, he was definitely into it. Which is why I had to stop it.”

“Your logic is flawed, my friend.”

“No, it's not. Just shut up and listen to what I have to say. I know that friends hook up, that it happens all the time. I mean, Magnus has had countless hook-ups. But that's not what I want from him. I can't be _just_ a hook-up to him. So yeah, he was turned on, and if I hadn't stopped it, we would have hooked up. But it wouldn't have meant more to him. Not like it would have to me,” Alec explained. “And sleeping with him and not having it mean anything... that would be worse than not having him at all.”

Jace sighed. “I wouldn't be too sure of that, Alec. He likes you. Give him a chance.”

“You don't know that. Not for sure,” Alec argued. And yes, he knew it seemed more and more likely lately that Magnus might like him. He wasn't stupid- but he _was_ confused. He had to keep reminding himself that it was all an act. It was blurred lines and confusion and desire and attraction and lies and it was all messing with Alec's head.

He used to be so sure about where he stood with Magnus, and Izzy had warned him that faking a relationship would get confusing. And Alec had thought he could handle it, but he had been wrong. God, he had been so wrong. He knew now that they needed to end this charade before Alec was left not knowing what he and Magnus were anymore, or where they stood. He refused to let this ruin their friendship.

“Look- I'll just say this one more time, then I'll leave you alone,” Jace compromised. “What if he wants more? What if he doesn't just want a hook-up? What then?”

Alec stared at him for a second, biting his lip nervously before letting out a groan and falling dramatically onto the couch. He couldn't think about this anymore- it was hurting his head.

“You've been hanging out with Magnus too much lately,” Jace teased, laughing at Alec's dramatic response.

Alec glared at Jace and gave him the finger, growling in frustration when Jace just laughed in response.

“You do realize that when you and Magnus end up married with 2.5 kids in a house with a white picket fence, I've earned the right to rub it in and say 'I told you so' for the rest of your life.”

Alec rolled his eyes and got off the couch, shoving past Jace so he could finally take a much-needed cold shower.

 

* * *

 

When Alec finally made it home the next morning, he wasn't surprised to see Magnus laying on his couch, Chairman Meow sleeping soundly on his chest. Magnus looked up at Alec as Alec turned his back and shrugged his jacket off, quietly hanging it by the door, taking a moment to compose himself and prepare himself for the inevitable. Alec bit his lip and took a deep breath before turning to look at Magnus.

“Hey,” Magnus greeted nervously.

“Hey,” Alec responded, lamely. He licked his lips as he looked Magnus over. They were both still wearing the same clothes from the night before, but where Alec looked rumpled and sleep-deprived, Magnus managed to still look delectable. His eyeliner was smudged under his eyes, there was a red crease on his cheek from the pillow he had been resting on, and his hair was adorably rumpled, one stray piece flopping down over his forehead. His shirt had ridden up and was showing off the bottom of his six pack and his smooth, tanned skin.

Alec's mind unhelpfully flashed back to the night before, to having that incredible, toned, hard body pressed up against him.

Alec jerked back to attention, looking away from Magnus' stomach as he realized Magnus had been speaking to him. “What?” he asked, startled.

“I said, how are you feeling this morning?” Magnus repeated.

“Oh. Um, I'm-” Alec began.

“Actually, no. Don't even bother answering that,” Magnus cut him off with a wave of his hand. “I don't want you to lie again.”

Alec paled and unconsciously took a step back, ready to flee from the situation if need be, even if it meant running out of his own home.

“What really happened last night? We need to talk about it, Alexander,” Magnus said, jumping straight to the point.

Alec missed the days when Magnus used to be coy, before he figured out that Alec never understood him when he spoke in riddles or tried to be sly. When Magnus made that realization, he had just started jumping straight to the point and being direct with Alec, which Alec normally appreciated. And, of course, over the years, he had learned all of Magnus' little quirks and what subtle shifts in his demeanor meant, and they could practically read each other's minds at this point... But when Magnus didn't want to leave any room for misunderstanding, he would still be completely direct with him. Which meant there was no room for Alec to act like he didn't understand what Magnus was getting at. Magnus was being loud and clear about what he meant.

That didn't mean Alec wouldn't still try to weasel his way out of this conversation, though.

“Talk about what?” He asked, innocently.

“Quit it with the bullshit, Alec,” Magnus huffed. “Now, are you going to tell me what I did wrong last night that literally made you run away from me?”

And this was one of those cases where Alec was hearing everything Magnus was saying; Magnus was being direct and upfront with him... but Alec knew him well enough now to know that Magnus was actually scared. He looked small and nervous and insecure and anyone who didn't know him as well as Alec did would never have noticed.

Alec's heart was breaking into a million tiny pieces. The last thing he ever wanted was for Magnus to think he had done something wrong, or for him to think that Alec was mad at him. Without hesitation, all fears and worries forgotten, he rushed over to Magnus and wrapped him in his arms, desperate to reassure him that they were ok, that everything was ok.

Chairman Meow let out a low, annoyed meow at being disrupted, and jumped off the couch, making his way to Alec's bedroom to continue sleeping in there.

“You did nothing wrong. It was me. I was... I just had to get out of there and get some air. Last night was...” Alec trailed off, unable to find the words. It was intense and terrifying and hot and good and dangerous all in one.

“I know,” Magnus murmured.

And no, Alec was pretty sure Magnus didn't know. But he let it go- he didn't want to argue, or speak the truth of what he was really feeling.

“I'm sorry I lied to you. If it makes you feel better though, it can hardly be called lying since I knew you would see right through it,” Alec argued hopefully, innocently shrugging his shoulders.

Magnus raised an eyebrow at him, unimpressed. “It still counts as lying, Alexander.”

Alec brushed his thumb over Magnus' cheek, then let out a sigh. “I know, and I'm sorry.”

“You're forgiven. But... are we going to talk about it?” Magnus asked, leaning into Alec's touch.

“Talk about what?” Alec asked nervously, pulling his hand away from Magnus' face and shifting his eyes all over the room, anywhere but at Magnus.

“You know what,” Magnus sighed.

At that second, Alec's phone rang. Alec let out a silent sigh of relief. He jumped up from the couch in his eager to answer the phone and get away from this awkward situation. He glanced down at the screen of his phone, and decided he'd never been happier to hear from his littler sister in his entire life.

“Izzy! Hey, little sister! How's it going?” Alec asked, cheerfully.

“I'm hungover and want coffee. You want to come?” Izzy asked, getting straight to the point.

“Yes! Yes, absolutely! I would love to get coffee with you right now,” Alec exclaimed, jumping at the opportunity to escape his current situation.

“You're too enthusiastic this morning. What's wrong?” Izzy asked suspiciously.

“Nothing! Can't I just be happy to spend time with you?” Alec asked.

“...Ok, you're being weird. I'm hanging up now. See you soon.” And with that, Izzy hung up on him. Alec turned back to Magnus, ready to tell him they'd just have to talk later. But before he could say a word, Magnus was standing from the couch and making his way toward him.

“Coffee with Isabelle?” Magnus asked. “Great. I'd love coffee.”

Alec stuttered while Magnus brushed past him and made his way to Alec's bathroom to get ready to go out. Why was nothing going the way he planned?

He reassured himself, though, that at least in front of an audience he wouldn't push him about last night anymore. Or, so he hoped.

Alec looked over at Chairman Meow, who was still on the couch, staring up at him with knowing eyes.

“I'm a mess, Chairman,” Alec sighed, sinking onto the couch next to the cat. Chairman Meow let out a meow, then got up and walked after Magnus into the bathroom.

 

* * *

 

The quick walk to the coffee shop was filled with awkward silence and tension so thick, you could slice it with a knife. Alec noticed that, a few times, Magnus opened his mouth like he was going to say something, then seemed to think better of it, shaking his head and continuing to walk in silence.

Before leaving the apartment, Alec had just tugged on a fresh t-shirt; it was just his sister he was going to meet, anyway, he had no one to impress. Or at least, that's what he tried to tell himself. It's not like he could impress someone like Magnus with his fashion or hair, even if he _did_ put in the effort. Magnus, however, had quickly changed into a new set of clothes- he kept a stash at Alec's apartment for emergencies, even though he lived right next door. He was make-up free this morning, and his hair was just barely styled, and Alec was, as always, distracted and completely awestruck by how gorgeous he looked.

So Alec forced himself to just look forward and not speak to Magnus while they walked, terrified that if he opened his mouth, Magnus would try to revisit their earlier conversation, or that if he looked at Magnus, he would get distracted by how gorgeous he looked, get caught in a trance, and never be able to look away again. So he occasionally glanced at Magnus out of the corner of his eye, awkwardly cleared his throat, and just kept walking in silence to the coffee shop.

And god, they'd never been this awkward around each other before. This was horrible. Alec couldn't help but think again that they definitely needed to “break-up” soon. Before the lies could cause any more damage.

“Are we ok?” Magnus finally asked, breaking the awkward silence and pulling Alec aside outside of the coffee shop.

Alec sighed and reached out to squeeze Magnus' arm. “Yes. I promise.”

Magnus nodded and took a deep, shaky breath, then made his way into the coffee shop, Alec following close behind.

“Guys, over here!” Izzy called out, waving them over to the booth she was sitting in. Alec and Magnus slid into the seat across from Izzy, their arms pressed together as they sat side by side.

Magnus made grabby hands at the cup of coffee in front of him, then let out a content sigh as he took a sip from the mug.

“You're the best sister ever,” Magnus sighed.

“I didn't even tell you Magnus was coming,” Alec stated in confusion, eyeing the two mugs of coffee in front of them, that Izzy had obviously ordered for them in advance. Izzy raised an eyebrow at Alec, as if to say, _'Please- like you ever go anywhere without Magnus.'_ Which, she had a point...

“So, where did you two disappear to last night? I couldn't find you after the show,” Izzy commented.

“Oh! Um, I had plans with Jace,” Alec lied.

“And I decided to call it an early night,” Magnus added on, going along with Alec's lie.

Izzy looked at Magnus in confusion. “You never leave early.”

“Never say never, my dear,” Magnus said, waving his hand dismissively, being vague and coy while avoiding the actual question. Alec rolled his eyes- he had no idea how Magnus did it.

“And you never make plans with anyone but Magnus on Saturday nights. It's tradition,” Izzy said, now turning her confusion to Alec.

“Umm... never say never?” Alec replied, lamely repeating Magnus' words. Magnus snickered next to him, while Izzy looked at them in confusion, narrowing her eyes at them.

“I'm missing something,” Izzy murmured to herself.

Alec looked over at Magnus in confusion when he suddenly felt Magnus' arm wrap around his shoulders. Magnus nodded his head toward the door in a silent reply. Alec looked over at the door and saw that Raphael and Simon had just walked in together. Izzy looked over her shoulder to see what they were looking at.

“Simon! Raphael! Guys, over here!” Izzy exclaimed happily when she saw her friends were there.

“Hey, guys!” Simon waved, then grabbed Raphael's hand and dragged him over to the booth. The pair squeezed in next to Izzy, in the seat across from Alec and Magnus. “Fancy running into you here.”

“Yes, what a pleasant surprise,” Magnus commented, glancing nervously over at Alec. Alec subtly shook his head, silently reassuring Magnus that it was ok; they could pretend to be boyfriends for a while. Alec shuffled a little closer to Magnus, so they were completely pressed together, side-by-side, Magnus' arm still wrapped around Alec's shoulders. Alec held back a shiver at Magnus' touch.

“You guys have fun last night?” Simon asked. “Thanks for coming, by the way.”

“I was impressed! You know, I mentioned to Alec last night that you all seemed to playing in the same key... nice improvement,” Magnus commented, earning a glare from Raphael.

“Thanks?” Simon asked, looking at Magnus in confusion.

“Stop insulting my boyfriend,” Raphael threatened, wrapping a protective arm around Simon.

“I was complimenting him,” Magnus argued, winking at Raphael.

“It was underhanded and you know it,” Raphael argued back. “And this coming from the guy who caused an angry mob by playing the charango.”

“You can't prove that,” Magnus said simply, causing Raphael to growl in frustration.

“You don't hear me insulting _your_ boyfriend,” Raphael scowled.

“That's because my boyfriend is perfect,” Magnus grinned.

“Hey!” Simon exclaimed in indignation, causing Magnus to let out a soft laugh.

Alec chuckled and turned to look admiringly at Magnus. Magnus was so beautiful when he smiled, and even more so when he laughed. Alec smiled at him fondly and leaned forward to close the gap between them, landing a soft kiss to Magnus' lips, just a gentle, soft press of lips against lips, as if they'd been kissing one another for years.

As Alec pulled away from the kiss, he froze, his eyes widening as he realized what he had just done.

He quickly reminded himself not to freak out, not to react, because as far as Raphael and Simon knew, they kissed each other all the time. No one knew that he and Magnus had just had their first kiss... apart from Izzy, Alec realized.

Alec glanced over at Izzy to see her trying to hide a smile behind her hand. He quickly looked back at Magnus, who was staring back at him in mirrored shock. Magnus licked his lips, then glanced down at Alec's lips before looking back into Alec's eyes. Alec immediately relaxed when Magnus quirked his lips in a hint of a smile and reached out to place his hand reassuringly on Alec's thigh. Alec placed his hand on top of Magnus' and squeezed it in silent thanks.

“I thought you guys would never get comfortable enough to kiss in front of us, mi amigo,” Raphael teased Magnus, their previous argument forgotten.

“...what?” Magnus asked in confusion.

“Oh, don't be shy!” Simon agreed with Raphael. “I know it's weird starting a new relationship, but you guys can totally be yourselves around us!”

Alec stuttered and blushed, while Izzy hid her laughter behind her hand at the irony of that statement. “I... we're not... we didn't...”

“What Alexander is trying to say is thank you for allowing us to comfortably show affection in front of you. Alec hates public displays of affection, so it's encouraging to know you won't make fun of us about it,” Magnus said, coming up with an excuse on the spot.

Alec stared at Magnus in disbelief, shaking his head. Magnus rolled his eyes and leaned in to press another kiss to Alec's lips, causing Alec to pretty much go into shock- all systems down.

“See, that wasn't so bad, was it, dear?” Magnus teased.

Alec swallowed and shook his head. “Uh... no? And don't call me dear,” Alec replied automatically.

“I was starting to think Alec was celibate. It would definitely explain a lot about his... personality,” Raphael joked.

Alec glared at Raphael and Magnus flicked his rolled up napkin at his friend's head.

“Shut it, Raphael,” Magnus warned.

“You started it,” Raphael grumbled under his breath.

“Guys, leave each other alone,” Izzy finally interfered, rolling her eyes.

The rest of breakfast was uneventful... or maybe not. There could have been an animal stampede and a car full of clowns and a kitchen on fire and Alec probably wouldn't have noticed. Alec was relieved that there was no more kissing during the rest of breakfast- he wasn't sure how much more he could handle. He was already freaking out enough as it was, and completely zoned out for the rest of breakfast, unable to process what had happened.

He and Magnus had kissed. On the lips. Twice. That was all Alec could think about, over and over and over again for the rest of breakfast. Kiss. Magnus. Lips. Alec's brain was short-circuiting and it was taking all of his energy to not freak out in front of everyone. He needed to wait until he was home alone to have a proper freak-out.

“That was a good act back there,” Magnus commented as they left the cafe together, nudging his shoulder against Alec's.

“Oh. Um. Yeah. Thanks,” Alec mumbled awkwardly. Magnus had just looked so gorgeous and he had been smiling at him and there were too many blurred lines and the way they had danced together last night was still fresh on Alec's mind, and he had just acted without thinking. God, he was a mess. This was it- they needed to break up. It had gone too far.

“I think...” Alec started, but was interrupted by Magnus.

“We'll probably only need to continue the act for a couple more weeks. There's another event next weekend for work, but we can break up shortly after that,” Magnus suggested.

Alec swallowed and nodded his head. He was just about to to suggest the same thing, so why did it hurt so bad to hear out-loud? “Yeah. Yeah, ok. That sounds great.”

“Yeah. Great,” Magnus replied.

Alec awkwardly looked away from Magnus and they walked back to their apartments in silence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for your patience!
> 
> I had new roommates move in, then went to a music festival, then my dad was in town visiting, and then I was celebrating my birthday! Today is the first day I've had to just sit back, relax, and edit this chapter. I hope it was worth the wait!
> 
> I love all of your comments- thanks for taking the time to write your thoughts down for me!


	11. Chapter 11

“So how do you want to do this?”

“Fabulously and with lots of alcohol,” Magnus replied, never looking away from his reflection as he got ready for yet another work event. This time, they were attending a summer garden party, hosted by Magnus' boss. No networking, thank god, but Magnus was determined that they would make a good impression on his colleagues as a couple. According to Magnus, his boss loved Alec, and he wanted to milk their relationship as much as he could before they broke up.

Alec snorted and rolled his eyes. “You have no idea what I'm referring to, do you?” He asked.

“None,” Magnus agreed, still fidgeting with his shirt, trying to get it to sit just so against his chest and shoulders. Alec momentarily lost his concentration as he eyed Magnus, who was wearing skin-tight, bright green pants, rolled up at the ankle, paired with a button-up shirt and suspenders. The suspenders pulled the shirt tight against his lean and muscular chest, and showed off his narrow shoulders and defined arms. Magnus looked incredible, as always. And now that Alec had had a taste of him... literally… he was finding it harder to resist.

He wasn't an idiot. He realized now that Magnus was attracted to him. And Magnus had to know that the attraction was mutual. They had been physically close enough the night they danced together that there was no denying it any longer. But just because they were attracted to each other didn't mean they had to act on it. Friends could be attracted to each other. But if they slept together... there would be no going back. A fling with Magnus would surely be hot. But Alec would rather have Magnus as a friend for the rest of his life, than be in his bed once and be forgotten.

“Hello, earth to Alec,” Magnus said, snapping his fingers in front of Alec's face. Alec blinked and realized he had been staring at Magnus' collarbones, lost in thought. He flushed, embarrassed, and shook his head to clear his mind.

“Sorry,” Alec mumbled. Magnus smirked at him, and Alec rolled his eyes, trying to brush off the sudden awkwardness.

“Now what were you talking about before? Do what?” Magnus asked.

“Break-up,” Alec replied quickly. “How do you want to break-up? This will probably be our last work function together, so we should start planning.”

“Oh,” Magnus said, turning his attention back to the mirror. “Right. Well in that case, I stick with my original response. Fabulously and with lots of alcohol.”

Alec chuckled and shook his head fondly at Magnus.

“It should be amicable,” Alec suggested, ignoring Magnus' unhelpful idea. “Maybe we can tell everyone we just decided we were better off as friends. It needs to be something that will allow us to still be friends once this is all said and done.”

“We need something to sell it, though,” Magnus added on. “Maybe a small argument at Friday night drinks? Something tangible that our friends can see that supports our decision.”

“Yeah. Yeah, ok. I could tell them you're too clingy,” Alec teased.

“Please, like you'd survive a day without me,” Magnus drawled, eyeing Alec's shirt. Alec glanced down at himself and realized he had missed a hole when buttoning up his shirt. He blushed and quickly undid the buttons to try again. Magnus slapped his fumbling hands away and did the buttons up himself, rolling his eyes fondly at Alec. Alec shivered when Magnus' fingers gently brushed against his stomach. Magnus was kind enough to ignore the obvious reaction.

“We could just tell them that I got tired of having to dress you all the time,” Magnus joked.

“You love playing dress-up with me and you know it,” Alec retorted, looking pointedly at Magnus who was smiling as he fussed with Alec's shirt.

Magnus let out playful sigh, before grinning up at Alec. “Let's face it... we're perfect together. It's why we're best friends.”

Alec's heart skipped a beat. “I'm sure we'll think of something...” he said quietly, unable to look away from Magnus. _Perfect together._ Fuck, they really were. Except for the part where it wasn't real.

Magnus reached up and brushed Alec's hair back, his hand lingering for just a second too long. Alec resisted the urge to tug Magnus to him, wanting to hold him and never let go. He didn't want this to end, but he knew it had to. They had to stop this pretending if they ever wanted to go back to normal. They had to break up if Alec wanted to preserve their relationship, because he was so close to reaching the point of no return; it was getting harder to resist Magnus every day, and he needed to know where they stood without these blurred lines in the way.

Alec honestly had no idea where he and Magnus stood anymore. They hadn't discussed their kiss... ok, _two_ kisses since they happened. And Magnus had finally dropped all of his questions about their night of dancing. Alec had stopped breaking into a sweat every time Magnus opened his mouth to speak, nervously anticipating a round of questions about his feelings. Things had gotten back to normal... as normal as things could be; except now there was this shadow of possibility and attraction hanging over them. There was no denying it anymore. They were attracted to each other. And they had no idea where that left them. So they didn't talk about it.

Alec cleared his throat and took a step back from Magnus, needing some distance between them to think clearly.

“I could tell everyone how you're too much of a slob to live with... I'd never be able to take that next step and move in with you,” Alec teased, trying to ease the tension out of their situation.

“Or I could complain about how you love my cat more than you love me,” Magnus grinned.

“I can't argue with that,” Alec laughed, picking Chairman Meow up off the bed and hugging him close to his chest.

Magnus rolled his eyes and took Chairman Meow out of Alec's arms, setting him back on the bed before brushing his hands down Alec's chest, smoothing the wrinkles out of his shirt.

“How do I look?” Alec asked, holding out his arms while Magnus observed him.

“You look gorgeous,” Magnus replied, then cleared his throat. “Don't beat up Craig today. The shirt you're wearing is designer, and I refuse to scrub blood out of it.”

Alec chuckled and squeezed Magnus' arm in reassurance. “No promises.”

 

* * *

 

The garden party was gorgeous; Alec had no eye for interior design or party planning, but even he could recognize that a lot of money and effort had been put into this event. There was a gazebo as the center piece in the backyard, fairy lights were strung through all of the trees, various yard games that Alec had no idea how to play were scattered around the lawn, and, most importantly, there was an extravagant open bar that definitely was not lacking in variety.

“You want a drink?” Alec asked, eyeing the bar. He hated parties- even tame, daytime, garden parties like this one, and he definitely needed a beer to help him get through it.

“My usual, please,” Magnus smiled, squeezing Alec's arm as he turned to mingle with his colleagues while Alec fetched their drinks. Alec didn't miss the way Magnus' colleagues eyed him while he walked away, and he politely ignored the way they all started squealing at Magnus as soon as they thought he was out of hearing range. Alec rolled his eyes and kept walking toward the bar.

“One Stella and one martini, please,” Alec ordered, tapping his fingers on the bar while he waited. He turned and leaned his back against the bar while the the bartender mixed the martini, scanning the crowd as he took it all in. He looked appreciatively at Magnus for a few seconds, admiring the ease with which he mingled... how natural and gorgeous he looked in this setting. Alec smiled to himself and continued scanning the crowd, forcing himself to pull his attention away from Magnus. And it was then that he spotted Craig.

Alec glared at him, noticing immediately that Craig's attention was turned toward Magnus. He had warned him once to give it up. Now, he would have to make sure that Craig knew that, even after he and Magnus broke up, he didn't have a chance in hell. He wanted Craig to leave this party completely broken and defeated.

His mind made up, Alec grabbed their drinks and made his way back across the yard to Magnus.

“I don't like the way Craig is looking at you,” Alec grumbled as he passed Magnus his martini, glaring at Craig from across the yard.

“Down, boy,” Magnus teased, but glanced over his shoulder anyway. Alec's glare intensified when Magnus turned back to him with a frown on his face.

“Do you want me to say something? I'm going to say something. He's practically undressing you from across the yard,” Alec said, angrily.

Magnus shook his head and wrapped his arm around Alec's waist, before leaning up to press a kiss to Alec's cheek. Alec leaned into Magnus' touch, then reached up to press the palm of his hand against Magnus' cheek, brushing his thumb against the light stubble growing on his chin. Magnus burrowed his head in Alec’s neck, causing Alec to let out a shiver as Magnus’ breath brushed against his skin. Alec had no idea if Magnus was doing this to prove a point to Craig, or if he was simply doing it because he wanted to… he wasn’t about to question it, though.

“There you are!” Someone exclaimed from behind Alec, causing him to jump from the sudden interruption. Alec turned around and saw that they had been spotted by Magnus' boss, Penelope.

“Penelope, darling, you've outdone yourself this time. What an exquisite party,” Magnus complimented, pulling away from Alec to give Penelope air kisses.

Alec awkwardly held out his hand to shake Penelope's, offering her a small smile. “It's a great party,” he agreed.

Penelope laughed warmly. “I'm so glad you both could make it. Magnus, my assistant has had so many calls this week from potential clients, and they all dropped your name as the reason they want to wear our designs,” Penelope bragged. “Keep up this good work and there will be a promotion in your future.”

Alec grinned widely and pressed a proud kiss to Magnus' cheek.

“And as for your gorgeous partner- the clients love him, too,” Penelope said, turning her attention to Alec. “And they love how committed you two are to each other. Everyone loves working with a family man over a playboy,” Penelope stage-whispered, winking at Magnus.

“Oh!” Magnus exclaimed, blushing. “That's...”

“Oh, don't be shy. You two are adorable,” Penelope beamed. “I'm so glad you brought him today. Lovely to see you both.”

And with that, Penelope was swept away, off to chat with someone else.

Alec blushed and looked at Magnus, rubbing awkwardly at the back of his neck.

“Ummm...” he said awkwardly.

“At this rate, we're going to have to get married and adopt 20 kids like Brangelina,” Magnus sighed.

“You have no one to blame but yourself,” Alec pointed out, grinning at Magnus, who was smiling right back at him. Alec had no idea how Magnus always knew the right words to say to make him feel better, but he loved him for it.

Alec glanced back over his shoulder to see Craig had been watching the entire exchange, a scowl on his face. Alec repressed the urge to stick out his tongue at him. But Alec didn't repress the urge to wrap Magnus up in his arms, his hands landing on Magnus' ass as he pulled him closer. Alec bent down and pressed a kiss to Magnus' cheek, smiling fondly down at him.

“Is that the best you can do?” Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow at Alec. Alec smirked at him, glad Magnus was on-board with the plan to shut Craig down.

“Come here,” Magnus murmured. Alec grinned, lifting one of his hands up the back of Magnus' neck, angling his head up to steal a kiss. Magnus met him halfway, smiling against his lips. It was just a simple press of lips against lips- they were in public, after all. Alec didn't want to give everyone a show. He just wanted Craig to get the message. But it still sent electricity shooting down his body. Magnus' lips were addictive and perfect and soft and he tasted incredible, and Alec knew he was quickly becoming addicted to Magnus' mouth. This was going to be a problem.

Magnus eventually pulled away, licking his lips as he put some distance between them.

“Right... is he gone?” Magnus asked, his voice deeper than usual.

Alec looked at Magnus in confusion, Craig momentarily forgotten, before he remembered why they had kissed in the first place. Alec glanced over Magnus' shoulder and saw that Craig was scowling down at his drink, no longer paying them any attention.

Alec grinned down at Magnus and nodded his head.

And then something else across the yard caught his eye. An archery range.

“You mind if I shoot a few arrows?” Alec asked, eyeing the archery range across the yard. Magnus raised an eyebrow at him.

“Archery?” Magnus asked.

“Yeah, I've always wanted to try it out. How hard can it be?” Alec asked, shrugging

“Pretty hard, I’d imagine,” Magnus commented, following Alec over the archery range.

Alec handed his beer to Magnus as the instructor greeted him with a friendly smile, handing him a bow and arrow. “Hi, I’m Paul.”

“Alec.”

“Have you ever done this before?” Paul asked. Alec shook his head, looking down at the bow and arrow in his hands. It looked easy enough. He imagined you just lined the arrow up along the string-thingy, tugged it back, and released, aiming where you wanted the arrow to go.

“Right, so you’re going to hold the bow up even with…“ Paul began explaining. Alec ignored him and lifted the bow up, placing the arrow along the string before pulling it back, aiming it at the target. He took a deep breath, focusing on the bullseye, and released the arrow. He smiled as it soared through the air, landing right on the bullseye.

Alec turned around and beamed at Magnus, who was gaping at him with his mouth open.

“This is fun,” Alec declared, lining up another arrow on the bow. He turned and aimed at the target, releasing the arrow and hitting yet another bullseye. Magnus let out a high-pitched noise as the arrow hit the target.

“What? It's easy,” Alec shrugged, smiling at Magnus, who was still staring at him in wonder.

“Are you sure you’ve never done this before?” Paul asked in confusion. Alec just shrugged.

Magnus shook his head in amazement, before eyeing Alec up and down. “I have never been more attracted to you in my entire life,” Magnus stated. Alec blushed and laughed nervously, rubbing at the back of his neck.

“I agree. That was hot,” Paul stated, also eyeing Alec up and down.

“Back off, Peter, he’s mine,” Magnus growled, grabbing Alec by the arm and dragging him away. Alec dropped the bow and arrow on the ground, blushing as he was pulled away by Magnus.

Magnus handed Alec his beer back as they made their way over to a picnic table. Alec took a nervous swig from the bottle as they sat in silence for a few seconds, before Magnus eventually cracked. “Ok, seriously, that was so hot. How did you do that?! Oh my god, we have to start playing darts when we go out. We could swindle so much money.”

Alec laughed and wrapped an arm around Magnus as they sat at the picnic benches, tugging Magnus close. He linked his fingers through Magnus', leaning in to press a kiss to Magnus' cheek. If this was one of the last times they had to pretend, he would make the most of it.


	12. Chapter 12

Alec really didn't want to break up with Magnus. Alec also really wanted to break up with Magnus.

Alec was going to miss kissing and holding Magnus. Alec was also really not going to miss all the confusion and longing that came with kissing and holding Magnus.

Alec really wanted to keep gazing at Magnus, who had dressed up for drinks with their friends and looked so sexy and beautiful and lean and magnificent... Alec was really going to miss being able to openly gaze at Magnus.

In summary, Alec was seriously torn up over what they were about to do.

He wouldn’t dare voice these concerns out loud to Magnus, though. They had a plan, and they were sticking to it.

“Alec? Have you been listening to anything I’ve said?” a voice broke through his thoughts. Alec snapped back to attention, turning away from Magnus and back to Clary, who was smiling knowingly at him.

“Uh, no. Sorry,” Alec shrugged, trying to hide his embarrassment at being caught ogling Magnus as he took another sip of his beer- his fourth of the night. He hadn't missed the fact that Magnus had been drinking more than usual, too… which was a pretty impressive thing to do, considering just how much Magnus liked to drink on a regular night out.

They were at Friday night drinks with their friends, and he and Magnus were about to break up. He couldn’t really help but zone out- there was a lot on his mind. And a lot of pressure riding on this evening. And a lot of questions and insecurities about how things would move forward after tonight.

“Daydreaming about Magnus?” Catarina teased, nudging Alec with her shoulder, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at him. Alec rolled his eyes and tipped his beer back, finishing off the bottle. He reached out next to him, where he was pressed up against Magnus in the booth, and stole Magnus' drink, taking a quick sip from the fruity concoction while Magnus whined next to him, calling him a thief before snatching the drink back once Alec was done. Alec grimaced as the sickly sweet drink made it’s way down his throat. _Disgusting._ Alec had no idea how Magnus tolerated those cocktails.

“Don’t even pull that face at what I’m drinking,” Magnus chided. “You’re the one who insists on drinking piss water.”

“Like a real man,” Alec teased.

“Please,” Magnus retorted, rolling his eyes. “I can assure you it doesn’t get more manly than this,” he argued, pointing down at his lap. Alec’s eyes wandered down to his crotch, before quickly looking away, blushing. Magnus smirked, having won the argument, earning a laugh from Jace and Simon, and an eye-roll from Ragnor.

“Oh, shut up,” Alec grumbled at the smug look on Magnus’ face.

“You guys are adorable,” Catarina grinned.

“More like gross,” Raphael interjected.

“Idiots,” Jace added on, winking at Alec.

“Romantic,” Clary argued.

“Married,” Ragnor commented, rolling his eyes.

“Uh… right. I need a refill,” Alec said, excusing himself from the booth. He felt Magnus crawl out of the booth behind him and follow him toward the bar.

"So this is bad," Alec mumbled as soon as he and Magnus were out of hearing range from their friends. He gestured to the bartender for another beer. They were supposed to be on the verge of breaking up, and his friends were practically fawning over them. That wasn't exactly how they had planned for the evening to go...

"Two whiskey shots, please," Magnus ordered. Alec took that as agreement.

"We need to break-up. And fast," Alec decided. They had met up and hashed out all the details of their break-up prior to meeting their friends. They had decided they would keep the break-up amicable; a small, silly argument so that their friends would see they'd been having 'problems' in their relationship. Then they would call everyone the next day and announce that they had broken up for good, deciding that they were just better off as friends. It would be simple enough, and would mean no one would have to take sides and that they would be able to remain friends and go back to normal. Through the haze of alcohol, Alec was finding it difficult to focus on the plan, though. Especially with Magnus standing so close and the top three buttons of his shirt undone and he was wearing Alec's favorite cologne and was wearing eyeliner that made his eyes pop and made his intense gaze even more deadly and... fuck. Yeah. They needed to break up. 

Magnus nodded his head, grabbing the whiskey shots from the bartender and handing one to Alec. "Add it to the fellow's tab wearing green over there," Magnus said, pointing to Ragnor. Alec chuckled fondly.

They tapped their shot glasses against the bar and threw them back. After all the drinks they'd already had throughout the night, the whiskey went down smoothly and without much flavor. Alec set down his shot glass and grabbed his beer from the bar, chasing the shot with more alcohol. He was going to hate himself in the morning, but right now he couldn't think of anything he wanted more than to get wasted. Magnus grabbed the beer out of his hands when Alec was done taking a few sips. Magnus drank the remainder of the beer in one go, Alec's eyes widening in amazement.

"Is it just me, or does this remind you of college?" Alec asked as Magnus slammed the empty beer glass back on the bar. Magnus smirked and leaned closer to Alec, the haze of alcohol making them forget all about personal boundaries and space. Not that it mattered; for all everyone in the bar knew, they were a couple.

But not for much longer... _fuck_. Alec still hadn't drank enough to forget.

“We are so going to regret this,” Magnus stated. Alec didn't know if Magnus was referring to their break-up or all the alcohol. He didn't really care, either way.

"I want more beer," Alec pouted. Magnus suddenly leaned in and kissed his pout, causing Alec to jerk back in surprise, his eyes widening in shock.

“What-” Alec exclaimed lamely, staring at Magnus in confusion.

"Right. No. Bad Magnus. We should break up now," Magnus scolded himself, in the way only a drunk person could.

"Yeah. Break up. We should definitely break up," Alec agreed, nodding his head. In his haze of alcohol, he barely even noticed Magnus moving closer, instead of turning to go back to their friends. He didn't see why Magnus moving closer would be a problem, though. They were dating. They hadn't broken up yet. If Magnus wanted to stand close to him, he could. There would be no resistance from Alec.

Alec glanced down at Magnus' lips as he continued to move even closer. Magnus' lips were glistening, wet from the alcohol, and his cheeks were flushed with the slightest bit of stubble coming in on his chin, and he was so beautiful....

Fuck- Alec didn't want to break up. He wanted it to be real. He wanted Magnus to want it to be real. And he couldn't think of any reason right now why he shouldn't have what he wanted.

“So, we should start fighting,” Alec suggested, taking another step closer to Magnus as he spoke, intertwining their legs, their thighs brushing together, their feet tangled where they stood.

“Right. That,” Magnus murmured, glancing down at Alec's lips.

“Right...” Alec agreed.

Alec locked eyes with Magnus, who was staring back at him with the same intensity. Neither one of them opened their mouths to fight; they simply stared, electricity sparking between them.

Alec wasn't sure who moved first, but the next thing he knew, he and Magnus were wrapped up in each other, lips crushing together again and again in the most passionate, messy, incredible kiss of Alec's life.

Distantly, Alec was aware of their friends cheering and cat-calling at them, but that was all white noise. All he could focus on was Magnus. Magnus' lips. Magnus' body. Magnus' tongue. Magnus' cock, which was growing hard against his leg.

Alec gasped into the kiss, devouring Magnus. He bit playfully at Magnus' bottom lip, then soothed his tongue over it, softening the pain. Magnus squeezed his ass, pulling him closer against him, their groins pressing against each other. Alec gasped as pleasure shot through his body. He ground his hips against Magnus', panting into Magnus' mouth as they rocked together.

“Your place. Now,” Magnus gasped. Alec nodded his head and grabbed Magnus' hand, pulling him out of the bar, ignoring his friends' cheers.

“Why not yours?” Alec asked as they stumbled down the streets toward their apartments.

“There's no way in hell I'm letting Chairman Meow watch what I'm about to do to you.”

Alec let out a moan, his hands darting down to Magnus' ass, pulling him closer for another kiss. While they kissed, Alec pushed him up against a lamp post, kneading Magnus' ass as he pulled his hips flush against his own. Magnus gasped into the kiss, causing Alec to moan again.

“Door. Apartment. Not arrested,” Magnus panted into Alec's mouth, causing him to chuckle. He nodded his head in understanding- that what they wanted to do required some privacy, and, with one more parting kiss, grabbed his hand and continued tugging him toward his apartment.

As soon as they had made their way up the stairs to Alec's place, Alec backed Magnus up again, so his back was pressed against his front door. Magnus let out a grunt as his back hit the door, before bringing a leg up to wrap around Alec's waist. Alec gripped Magnus' thigh, pulling him closer, grinding up against his body as he kissed Magnus.

“Want you naked. Now,” Alec gasped, his body shaking with the need to be surrounded by Magnus completely.

They crashed gracelessly into Alec's apartment, stumbling as they tripped over each other's feet in the dark, both men laughing at their drunken clumsiness.

Alec was so turned on, he wasn't sure how long he would last at this point. All he knew was that he needed Magnus more than he had ever needed anything in his entire life.

Alec tugged at the buttons on Magnus' shirt, while Magnus palmed his hard cock through his jeans. Alec let out a groan and yanked on Magnus' shirt, too eager to unbutton it properly. He needed Magnus naked and in his bed _now_.

“Fuck, Alec, come on,” Magnus groaned, tugging Alec toward the bedroom as soon as he had his shirt off, dropping it carelessly on the floor. Alec's mouth went dry at the sight of Magnus shirtless- he had the most incredible, chiseled chest, a six-pack to die for, the most gorgeous tanned skin, with just a sprinkling of chest hair, as well as a line of hair going down his navel, leading into his pants. Alec had to get his hands back on him.

Alec pushed Magnus onto the bed and climbed on top of him, straddling him. He ground down against him, their hard cocks brushing together through their pants. He and Magnus simultaneously let out a groan, and Magnus wrapped his hand around the back of Alec's head, tugging him down for a messy kiss. Alec let his hands roam over Magnus' toned stomach as they kissed, his fingers trying to memorize the feel of Magnus underneath him. His hand dipped down into the waistband of Magnus' pants, his fingernails running through the hair that dipped below his navel. Magnus arched up into his hand, wanting more.

Magnus fumbled with the buttons on his pants, hastily undoing them so Alec could pull them off. Alec tugged at the material, wriggling it down Magnus' thighs. He let out a gasp when Magnus' cock sprung free. Fuck, Magnus was more incredible than Alec ever could have imagined.

“What, you really thought I could wear underwear with these pants?” Magnus asked, raising an eyebrow at Alec. Alec chuckled and shook his head fondly, before tugging Magnus' pants off the rest of the way.

“You're gorgeous,” he murmured softly, leaning over Magnus again to trail kisses down his neck and chest, stopping occasionally to lick and bite at his collarbones. God, how he had dreamed of doing that in the years since he met Magnus. Magnus moaned and tilted his neck, allowing Alec more room to work with. Alec felt Magnus tugging at his pants, and he shifted his hips up, allowing Magnus easier access to tug them down his thighs.

Alec gasped at the first touch to his cock. He bit his lip as Magnus stroked him, willing himself not to come. It was too soon. There was so much he wanted to do to Magnus... _with_ Magnus. But his touch.... _god_ , it was the most incredible thing.

“Off,” Magnus mumbled, tugging Alec's pants and underwear further down with one hand, while the other continued to stroke Alec. Alec sat up, reluctantly pulling away from Magnus' neck in order to tug the rest of his clothes off.

“Please tell me you have condoms. I know I joke about you never dating anyone, but if you don't have condoms I may actually die,” Magnus said, gazing longingly at Alec's cock.

“I have condoms,” Alec reassured Magnus. He pulled himself away from Magnus, hurrying to the bathroom to find the unopened box of condoms and bottle of lube he kept on hand, just in case.

Alec made his way back to Magnus, condoms and lube in hand, but froze in the doorway at the sight that greeted him. Magnus was lazily stroking his cock, looking absolutely stunning against his sheets. Magnus raised an eyebrow at Alec, silently asking him what he was waiting for. Alec let out a groan and tossed the condoms to Magnus as he crawled back onto the bed, then popped the cap on the lube, pouring a generous amount onto his fingers, rubbing it together to warm it up.

Alec positioned himself between Magnus' legs and circled his finger around Magnus' entrance. He pressed a kiss to the inside of Magnus' thigh before slowly easing a finger inside. And god, the sounds Magnus was making... it was incredible. He had never heard anything like it, and he wanted to be the cause of Magnus making those sounds for the rest of his life. Alec glanced up, reluctantly looking away from his finger easing in and out of Magnus; he had to see his face. He had to soak up every little bit of this moment.

Magnus' mouth was slightly open as he panted, gasping for air. His head was thrown back, his eyes squeezed shut as he pushed his ass against Alec's finger. He was beautiful, passionate, sexy, and all his. Alec would cherish the way Magnus looked in this moment forever.

Alec pressed another kiss to the inside of Magnus' thigh before adding another finger. He kissed his way across Magnus' stomach, before pressing a kiss to Magnus' other thigh, then kissed his way back across his chiseled abs. Alec pulled back slightly, admiring Magnus' gorgeous, long, lean cock. Magnus groaned as Alec's warm breath brushed across the sensitive head of his cock. Alec smirked, before licking the slit.

The sound that simple action drew out of Magnus was enough to make Alec come, completely untouched. Alec moaned, more turned on than he had ever been in his life. He scissored his fingers inside of Magnus while pressing a kiss to the tip of his cock, before fully wrapping his lips around the head.

“Fuck!” Magnus screamed at the sudden warmth surrounding him. Magnus' hips jerked, pushing himself deeper into Alec's mouth. Alec relaxed his throat, swallowing Magnus as much as he could; which wasn't even quite halfway, but Magnus seemed to be appreciating it just the same. Alec added a third finger for good measure, taking his time to fully prepare and stretch Magnus. The need to be inside him was almost painful at this point, but he knew it would be even more painful for Magnus if he didn't prepare him properly. Alec groaned around Magnus' cock, causing Magnus to reach down and squeeze his cock at the base, trying to hold off his orgasm.

Alec pulled off of Magnus' cock, pressing one last kiss to the head. Magnus tugged on his hair, pulling him back up his body for a passionate kiss.

“Stop teasing me and fuck me already,” Magnus ordered against Alec's lips. Alec smiled and nodded, pulling his fingers out of Magnus and searching the sheets for the box of condoms he had tossed to Magnus.

Magnus beat him to it, handing him an opened condom. Alec sat up, rolling the condom down his cock, then reached for the bottle of lube, pouring some more into his hand before rubbing it over himself. He grabbed a pillow, positioning it under Magnus' hips so he could get the best angle possible, then spread himself back on top of Magnus, so they were face to face. He wanted to see Magnus. He wanted to kiss him and watch him and fully experience every second of this. 

Magnus reached up and brushed the palm of his hand against Alec's cheek, before nodding his head, signaling that he was ready

Alec took a deep, shaky breath as he reached down and positioned his cock against Magnus' entrance, before slowly easing inside. He let out a groan as he inched in, bit by bit, surrounded by warmth and tightness and Magnus. _He was inside Magnus_ ; they were connected in the most perfect and intimate and beautiful way two people could be joined, and it was better than he ever could have imagined.

Alec groaned again as Magnus pushed his hips up, pulling Alec even deeper inside of him. Alec buried his head in Magnus' neck, while Magnus wrapped his arms around him, holding him tight. Their bodies were pressed together from head to toe as they held one another- wrapped up entirely in each other.

Alec pulled his hips back, before slowly pushing in again, both of them groaning in tandem.

“ _Yes_ ,” Magnus whispered, one of his hands finding purchase in Alec's hair, the other clinging to Alec's back.

“Magnus,” Alec replied quietly, reverently, still somewhat unable to believe this was actually happening. He pressed gentle kisses to Magnus' neck while they continued to move and thrust together, letting out whimpers and groans as they made love.

Alec knew they wouldn't last long. He had started his pace off slow, giving Magnus time to adjust to the intrusion, but his hips began jerking faster and losing rhythm in a matter of minutes, and he knew Magnus was close as well. They were covered in a light sheen of sweat, their bodies sliding against one another as they thrust together.

“Alexander,” Magnus murmured, pushing his hips up to meet Alec's thrusts. Alec groaned at hearing his name fall from Magnus' lips in that way. He pressed his lips against Magnus' in a messy kiss, which quickly turned to panting into one another's mouths as they got closer and closer to the finish.

Alec reached a hand down between them and tugged at Magnus' cock, urging him on to finish before he did. He could feel himself getting close, and he wanted to see Magnus come before he lost all control.

Magnus writhed beneath him as Alec mercilessly pounded into him while jerking his cock in time with each thrust. Alec bit on Magnus' bottom lip, then ran his tongue over it. Magnus gasped into the kiss, then threw his head back, shooting his release onto his and Alec's stomachs, letting out a loud keen as he came.

“Beautiful,” Alec murmured, kissing Magnus through his orgasm as he felt himself getting close to release. He let go of Magnus' cock, placing his hands on either side of Magnus on the bed so he could gain more momentum and balance to push in and out of Magnus, groaning at the heat and the knowledge that he was inside the man he loved.

“Alexander,” Magnus murmured again, and Alec was gone. He groaned as his hips jerked up into Magnus, releasing himself into the condom, completely surrounded by Magnus, who was petting his back and pressing kisses to his neck while he came. “I've got you.”

Alec gasped for breath as he came down, resting himself gently against his lover's body. Magnus stroked Alec's back, still kissing his neck softly.

“Oh my god,” Alec sighed, feeling completely relaxed and content and at peace and loved. Magnus nodded his head in agreement. Alec tilted his head down to kiss Magnus softly, smiling as their lips brushed together as naturally as if they'd been kissing one another for years.

“That was the best sex I've ever had,” Magnus announced, nuzzling his face into Alec's neck, pressing soft kisses to his skin. Alec smiled and turned his head for another soft, loving kiss.

“Same,” he murmured in agreement, leaning in for one more peck. He couldn't get enough.

After catching his breath, he reluctantly pulled himself out of Magnus' arms and got out of bed to grab a washcloth to clean them up. He disposed of the used condom once he was in the bathroom and wet the washcloth under warm water. Alec smiled at his reflection in the mirror- he looked completely fucked out; his hair a mess, his body covered in love bites and scratches, Magnus' spunk on his stomach... he was dirty and sweaty and smelled of sex... and he couldn't remember the last time he had been this happy and at peace.

Alec wiped his stomach down with the washcloth, then returned to the bed to clean Magnus. Magnus was already soundly sleeping by the time he returned to bed, though. Alec smiled fondly down at him, gently wiping him off with the washcloth. He tossed the washcloth into his hamper once he was done cleaning them up, then crawled back into bed with Magnus. He wrapped the other man in his arms, pressing a kiss to the top of his head as he held him, just like he'd always dreamed of doing.

“I love you,” he murmured quietly to Magnus, before drifting into the best night's sleep he'd had in years, his other half wrapped lovingly in his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I loved reading all of your comments from the last chapter, knowing what was going to happen next ;) 
> 
> You guys are great. Thank you for all of the love.


	13. Chapter 13

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short chapter, quick update. Deal? Deal.

~ _We wrote a story in the fog on the windows that night._  
_But the ending is the same every damn time_ ~  
Halsey - Strange Love

Something had crawled into Alec's mouth during the night and died. That was the only explanation Alec could think of for why his mouth tasted the way it did. Also, he must have hit his head on something the night before, because his skull was pounding.

And oh. Right. Those were the symptoms of being drunk. He had a hangover. Because he drank his body weight in alcohol last night, before coming home with Magnus and...

 _SHIT._ Fuck. Buggering fucking shit NO!

Alec jolted up in bed, looking over at Magnus who was soundly sleeping next to him. Naked.

Ok. Right. So that had happened. It wasn't some crazy drunken dream. He and Magnus had sex last night.

Right.

Fuck.

Alec's sudden movements must have woken Magnus, because in the next moment, Magnus was sleepily blinking his eyes open.

Ok, right, remain calm.

Magnus was awake and they had to face what they'd done last night and Alec didn’t have any time to think this through before they would have to talk about it and sort out their feelings and he was likely going to get shot down and rejected... _Shit_. Alec wasn't ready for this. He wasn't ready to be tossed aside. They'd finally fucked, and now that that was done, Magnus would want to go back to being friends and it was going to kill him.

Last night had been… _Everything_. It had been more than Alec had ever imagined and it was beautiful and stupid and amazing and spontaneous and...

"Morning," Magnus said softly, leaning over for a kiss.

Alec, despite his better judgement, responded to the kiss, letting his lips press softly against Magnus’, knowing it was likely the last kiss he and Magnus would ever share. They had gotten sex out of their system, they had caved to their attraction for one another, and now Magnus was going to recommend that things go back to normal between them, that they continue to move forward with their fake dating scheme, or that they break-up, or that they become friends with benefits, or even that he regretted it and wanted to pretend that it had never happened, or maybe acknowledge that it had happened but suggest never doing it again… the possibilities were endless, and Alec’s head hurt too much for this. He was not ready to face the music. He wasn’t ready to face Magnus.

“Hey, uh…. Morning,” Alec mumbled as he pulled away from the kiss. He squeezed his eyes shut, willing his emotions not to show through. But Magnus knew him too well for that.

“What’s wrong?” Magnus asked, sitting up and running his hand down Alec’s bare back. “Is it your head? You have a headache? I’m not surprised with how much we drank last night,” Magnus teased.

“Uh, yeah. Yeah- I’m pretty hungover,” Alec said, then bit his lip nervously. “I um… I forgot. I have to go,” Alec said lamely.

Magnus looked at him in confusion. “Go?”

“Yeah. I have a place… that I have to be,” Alec said as he got out of bed and began gathering his clothes off the floor, pulling them back on. They smelled and had wrinkles in them, but he didn’t really care right now. He just had to get out of there. “Help yourself to my shower, though. If you want. Or I guess you can just go back to your place to shower, considering it’s right next door. Or… Um… yeah,” Alec stuttered, tugging his clothes on.

“Alec?” Magnus asked in confusion. “What-“

“It’s fine, Magnus,” Alec said, cutting him off firmly. “I just have to go… to that thing. That I forgot about.”

“You’re a shit liar.”

“I know,” Alec sighed, running a hand through his hair. He hated to do this. He hated to leave Magnus, when all he wanted to do was stay in bed and cuddle and kiss and talk and laugh. He just wanted things to go back to normal. But he didn’t even know what normal was anymore. “I have to go.”

Alec tugged his shirt on and grabbed his keys, making his way to the front door. He heard Magnus scatter out of bed after him. But he refused to look back: one, because Magnus was still naked, and there was no way Alec would be able to resist his body, and two, because he knew his resolve would break if he saw the look in Magnus’ eyes.

“Alec,” Magnus whispered, one final plea.

He paused in the doorway, still not looking back.

Alec thought back to all late night adventures, the spontaneous road trips, the sleepovers where they stayed up all night laughing and drinking and talking about everything and nothing. He thought about how they ate every meal together, supported one another during their ups and downs, stuck together through thick and thin.

He wasn't ready to let that go. He would never be ready to let that go. But he may not have a choice in the matter.

Magnus was his whole world- he made his world better and brighter and livelier. Alec remembered life before Magnus, when he was still in the closet and scared of being himself and never laughed or went out with his friends, terrified that his eyes would linger on a cute guy for too long, or that he would slip up and accidentally say something that would give himself away. He was so scared back then... and then Magnus had literally barged into his life, taken him by the hand, and shown him all the amazing possibilities in front of him. Showed him what true happiness could be. Showed him unconditional love and friendship.

Of course Alec had fallen in love. He never stood a chance. Magnus had stolen his heart right from the beginning. Magnus would _always_ hold his heart.

But Alec couldn’t stay. He needed time. He needed space to think, to clear his head, and figure out what would happen next. He wasn’t ready for whatever Magnus had to say to him. He just… he couldn’t. Not yet.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, then shut the door behind him.

 

* * *

 

Once Alec had left his apartment building, he realized that he didn’t actually know where to go. He had left his own apartment in his rush to get away from Magnus, but he couldn’t go back there anytime soon anyway, because Magnus had a key and would barge in, demanding that they talk. He decided he couldn’t go to Jace’s apartment, because Clary would likely be there and wouldn’t understand the real reason why he was upset. His other friends were also under the belief that his relationship with Magnus had been real, so they wouldn’t be understanding either.

Which meant there was only one place for Alec to go; Izzy- who just so happened to be the one person he wanted to see more than anyone else, anyway.

Izzy took one look at him as she opened her front door, dragging her eyes down his body- taking in his messed up hair, his wrinkled clothes, his dejected look... before pulling him into a protective hug.

“He didn’t!” she exclaimed. “Tell me he did not fuck you then leave you.”

Alec sighed, relaxing into his little sister’s hold. He wasn’t big on hugs, but he was willing to make an exception just this once. He needed his little sister’s reassurance that everything was going to be ok. He just needed to be held for a minute.

“He didn’t. But only because I left before he could,” Alec murmured, resting his head on top of hers.

And that earned him a smack. So much for reassurance.

“You stupid, fucking idiot!” Izzy yelled at him, slapping him on the arm with each insult. “You left him?! You did the exact same thing that you were scared of him doing to you!”

“No, Izz, it’s not like that. I just… I beat him to the punch. I couldn’t just sit around and pretend like everything was the same between us. Not after that. Not when nothing will ever be the same again. Izz… I love him. And last night… I can never go back from that,” Alec explained, dropping down onto her couch and hanging his head in his hands.

He needed painkillers. And water. And sleep. And Magnus.

The walk to Izzy's apartment had helped clear his head a little, but his head was still pounding. He hadn't eaten anything yet, although he did stop at a food stand for coffee. He didn't have an appetite. His heart hurt. His head hurt. Everything hurt and he just wanted to turn it all off for a while.

“Do you really have such little faith in Magnus?” Izzy asked, coming to sit on the couch next to him.

“No, that’s not-” Alec stuttered, trying to find the words to explain to Izzy what he was feeling, why he was concerned. “You know he does one-night stands, Izz. You know him.” Alec retorted.

“Yes, but you’re different. Maybe it meant just as much to him as it did to you.”

“But what if it didn’t? I couldn’t… if he doesn’t… I _can’t_. I can’t sit there and hear him say it meant nothing.”

“Even if it means throwing away your chance at _something_?” Izzy asked.

Alec shook his head, mulling Izzy’s words over. He knew there was a chance… there was a chance that Magnus loved him back. There was a chance that it meant something to Magnus, too. That it wasn’t just a drunken one-night stand.

But there was also a chance that it meant nothing to Magnus. That it was just some drunken fumbling. That it was an itch he’d wanted to scratch. That it was just a bit of fun. And if that was the case, Alec wasn’t ready to hear it yet.

This was all too much. He couldn’t think about this anymore.

“I need time. We’ll talk- I promise. I’ll talk to him and work it out. But right now I just need time,” Alec explained.

“Ok,” Izzy nodded. “But you _will_ talk to him, Alec.”

“I will,” Alec agreed.

Alec knew it was inevitable. He would have to face Magnus eventually- he couldn’t hide from him forever. And he wouldn’t want to stay away from Magnus, anyway. That would just make both of them miserable. He just wasn’t ready yet. He had to think things through and calm down and get his emotions in check. He would allow himself to hide for a few days while he figured out a plan of action. He would allow himself and Magnus both time and space to think.

“Can I ask you a favor?” Alec asked sheepishly. “Well, two favors actually. Can I crash here the next few nights?” 

“Of course,” Izzy replied, nodding her head. “My couch is your couch.” 

“And can you text all of our friends telling them that Magnus and I broke up?”

Izzy sighed, staring at Alec in silence, waiting for him to elaborate or change his mind. He steadily held her gaze. If there was one thing he was sure of, it was that he couldn’t keep pretending to be in a relationship with Magnus after this. That charade was done.

Izzy finally nodded her head and grabbed her phone, ready to text all of their friends the news. “I hope you know what you’re doing, big brother.”

“Izz… I don’t have the slightest clue what I’m doing. I thought that much was clear.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, transitional chapter is short... I was going to post this tomorrow, but I basically wrote the whole thing in one sitting and decided, eh, why not.
> 
> SO! I have an announcement! I have had a LOT of people request Magnus POV. And I've finally decided that that's something I want to explore. So after the final chapter of Strange Love goes live, I will post a multi-chapter "Extras" from Magnus POV. It will only be about half of this story, but I'll do some remixes of scenes from this fic, as well as missing scenes.


	14. Chapter 14

_Well, looks like our break up involved lots of alcohol after all._

_I just didn't think we would_ actually _break up._

_I'm sorry._

_I miss you._

Alec sighed and turned off his phone without responding to the texts from Magnus.

He missed Magnus like crazy, but he still wasn't ready to talk to him. He needed a little bit more time to figure everything out. He needed the chance to compose himself, so he could face the music and pretend like everything was still ok. He knew if he faced Magnus right now, he would fall apart. He was supposed to be the strong, sensible one; the one in their group of friends who used his head and got them out of trouble. But right now, he had never felt so lost.

After last night…. Alec just didn’t know anymore. He had done a lot of thinking throughout the night (he had barely slept and spent most of the night going through old text messages and pictures until the sun came up and 4 new texts from Magnus had shown up), and there was only one thing he knew for sure- that he would go back to Magnus. He needed to save his friendship with Magnus. He had decided that that’s what he would do, if that's what Magnus wanted from him. He would do everything in his power to find a way to make their friendship work again. Walking away just wasn't an option. And he knew that going back to being friends with Magnus was going to break his heart, but Magnus was worth it. Magnus was worth having his heart broken over.

Alec hadn’t slept. He’d barely eaten- and in the end he only ate because Izzy had literally forced food into his mouth. His heart ached and he felt like a vital part of himself was missing. This was the worst break up he'd ever been through, and it wasn't even real.

"Was that Magnus?" Izzy asked, peeking over the couch at his phone.

Alec looked up at his sister from his position on the couch and let out a sigh, tossing his phone aside.

"Yeah," he said, letting his head fall back against the pillow Izzy had loaned him last night.

"What'd he say?"

"He said he's sorry."

"Call him, Alec," Izzy said for the tenth time since Alec had come over the day before.

"No. He's sorry he had sex with me and now it's going to be awkward and it sucks and I just need a few more days to compose myself before I get rejected."

"Why are boys such idiots?" Izzy asked Lydia, who had just come out of her bedroom. Lydia had come over last night, and Alec had a feeling Izzy had filled her in on everything. They’d spent the entire night locked away in Izzy’s room, though, so he didn’t know for sure.

"The world may never know," Lydia shrugged, pressing a kiss to Izzy's cheek.

"I'm sitting right here, you know," Alec grumbled, sitting up on the couch and glaring at his sister and her girlfriend..

"Oh, by the way, Jace, Clary and Simon are on their way over," Izzy said nonchalantly, moving away from Alec and toward the kitchen.

"WHAT?! Why?!" Alec exclaimed, jumping off the couch and trailing behind his little sister.

"Because you just broke up with your boyfriend. They're coming over for support," Izzy explained, talking slowly to Alec like he was stupid. Alec’s glare intensified.

"But...what... I don't... “ Alec stuttered. What was he going to tell his friends? Of course, his friends had good intentions, but he knew they would pry and ask questions about the break-up. What was he supposed to tell them? That he and Magnus had broken up because they had sex? No! That wouldn’t make any sense.

"Don't worry, Magnus is getting the same treatment. Raphael, Ragnor and Catarina are headed to his place to help him wallow."

"Oh my god," Alec groaned. He shot Lydia a grateful smile as she handed him a cup of coffee. He was glad at least one person was taking pity on him this morning.

"You might want to shower before they get here. You smell," Izzy said. Alec glared at her, shaking his head. "Don't give me that look, big brother. You're the one who told me to text everyone that you and Magnus had broken up. What did you think would happen?"

"Not this!" Alec exclaimed.

"Well then you clearly underestimate our friends. Now go get ready- they’ll be here in an hour.”

Alec grumbled as he set down his half-drunk coffee on the kitchen table before stomping into the bathroom. He would get ready, but he wouldn’t be happy about it- not that he could muster up the energy to be happy right now, anyway.

 

* * *

 

“We’re here!” Jace exclaimed, bursting into Izzy’s apartment, Clary and Simon in tow.

"We brought ice cream!" Simon declared happily.

"And chick flicks!" Clary added on.

"And booze!" Jace said, winking at Alec.

Alec let out a sigh and grabbed the six-pack of beers out of Jace's hands. "One out of three's not bad," he sighed.

"What's wrong with the ice cream and chick flicks?" Clary pouted.

"You do know I'm not a girl, right?" Alec asked, popping the top off a bottle of beer.

"A break-up is a break-up, Alec. And while I know this one will only be temporary, since you and Magnus are destined to be together and get married and have kids and live happily ever after, I know it still hurts. So sit down, shut up, and watch The Notebook!"

Alec gaped at Clary, all 5 feet 3 inches of her, before slowly sinking on the couch out of fear, earning a chuckle from Simon and Jace, who had obviously been in his shoes before.

"Now, we don't have to talk about the break-up if you don't want to, but you do have to eat your feelings. So grab a spoon and have a good cry. We won't judge you," Clary said.

"I'll judge you a little," Jace admitted. Alec glared at him.

“Did someone say The Notebook?” Lydia asked, coming out of Izzy’s bedroom, pulling Izzy behind her by the hand. “I love that movie!”

Alec sighed, admitting defeat, and let his friends ply him with ice cream and chick flicks. He knew how to pick his battles. But he also knew that despite his friends’ best efforts, nothing was going to distract him from thinking about Magnus. His hand itched for his phone, which was still turned off and tossed off to the side of the living room. He wanted to talk to Magnus so badly, but he also knew that wasn’t a good idea right now. It could wait one more day.

“Alec… I know you said you don’t have to talk if you don’t want to, but… we’re here, ok?” Clary said quietly as she sat on the couch next to Alec. Alec gave her a quick, curt nod, biting his lip nervously at the attention. He wouldn’t even know what to say, even if he _did_ feel like talking.

“It’s so crazy that you guys broke up!” Simon exclaimed, collapsing onto the couch next to Clary. “I thought you guys would be forever! But then Izzy texted and said you guys were done, that it was over, and I was like, WHOA! Didn’t see that one coming! Especially after that scene you guys made at the bar, all over each other like that, which, by the way, was super hot! Even Raphael thought you guys would be it for each other- we were always talking about how perfect you two are for each other and how we were so happy you guys finally figured it all out-”

Alec stared at Simon in horrified amusement as he rambled on and on, until Jace finally cut him off.

“Simon!” Jace called, shooting a glare at him.

“Uh, right. Sorry,” Simon mumbled.

“Who invited him here?” Alec asked in amusement. Simon pouted at that, but there were no real hard feelings between them. Over the years, that had actually grown kind of fond of one another. Simon had drunkenly admitted one Friday night back in college, when they had first started going out to drinks together as a group of friends, that he thought he was the nicest guy in their group. Alec didn’t know if that was actually a compliment, though, now that he thought about- considering he was up against the likes of Jace, Ragnor, and Raphael… but still, it was a nice thing to say. And while Alec liked to act annoyed by Simon, he actually found him pretty funny, and he was great at lightening the mood.

While Alec hated thinking about how great he and Magnus had been together, he actually felt just the tiniest bit lighter now, surrounded by this misfit group of people in his life who truly cared about him and just wanted him to be ok. Alec smiled softly at his sister from across the room, then snatched the carton of ice cream out of Simon’s hands, hogging it all for himself. He needed it more, after all. Jace chuckled and handed him a beer, and they all curled up on the couch together, ready to cry their way through The Notebook.

Alec had no idea how he had ended up here, but he found he didn’t have it in him to complain.

 

* * *

 

Alec and Jace had made their way through the six-pack of beers before The Notebook was even over, so Alec had excused himself to raid the kitchen for more alcohol. Knowing his sister, she would have a pretty impressive stash somewhere.

Alec was grabbing another beer from the fridge when he felt a hand on his arm. He knew before he even turned around that it was Jace.

“I don’t really want to talk about it,” Alec mumbled.

“Tough,” Jace replied. Alec let out a sigh. His best friend was too stubborn for his own good. “How are you feeling?”

“How do you think?” Alec asked, petulantly.

"You guys were... intense the other night. What really happened?" Jace asked quietly.

"We.... you know," Alec murmured, looking down at his feet.

"Well that much is obvious," Jace said, raising an eyebrow at Alec. "My question is, was that the first time you guys had caved and slept together?"

"Yes," Alec sighed, wiping a hand over his face.

“Fuck,” Jace swore. Alec raised an eyebrow at him in agreement. “So then what happened?”

"And then nothing," Alec said, sighing again. Jace just stared at him, waiting for him to elaborate. Alec let out a groan, tilting his head back to stare up at the ceiling. "And then I panicked and I ran and I just left Magnus there like a fucking jerk and I can't find the balls to talk to him because I know he's going to dump me. Even if he wasn't going to dump me before, he definitely will now that I ran out on him. Not that he actually _can_ dump me, seeing as we were never actually together. This whole thing obviously fucked with my head way more than I thought and then I fucked everything up."

"Yeah, dude, not gonna lie. That's pretty bad."

“You think?” Alec scoffed. “I have no idea what to do, Jace. I never thought I’d find myself in this position. I never even thought Magnus would _want_ to sleep with me… only in my wildest dreams.”

“Have you talked to him yet?” Jace asked.

“No,” Alec sighed. “I don’t even know where to start.”

Jace held out Alec’s phone to him, then. Alec glanced down at the phone in confusion.

“I figured you’d say that. Here. Take it. Talk to him,” Jace said, shoving the phone into Alec’s hand.

Alec stuttered, shaking his head. “But-”

“Alec. It’s _Magnus_. Talk to him,” Jace said, then turned on his heel and rejoined their friends in the living room. He called over his shoulder as he left, “And make it fast. They’re about to put on PS I Love You.”

Alec sighed and stared at his phone for a few minutes, searching his mind for what to say, trying to figure out whether he should text or call, or if he was even ready… Fuck it. He would never be ready for this conversation, but it was time they finally talked. They needed to lay it all out on the table so they could move on with their lives, for better or for worse. They couldn't be stuck in this limbo anymore- it was hurting them both. 

Alec took a swig of his beer, then finally bit the bullet and powered his phone back up, ignoring all the alerts beeping in on his phone- missed calls and texts from Magnus, Clary, Jace, and, surprisingly, Ragnor.

He scrolled through his contacts and hit Magnus’ name before he could lose his nerve, then bit his lip nervously as the phone rang. And rang. And rang.

Voicemail. _Fuck._

Alec cleared his throat, pacing the kitchen nervously as he listened to Magnus’ voicemail greeting, and then he heard the beep.

“Uh, hey Magnus. It’s me. Obviously. I guess you probably don’t want to talk to me. I don’t blame you. I uh… I don’t really know what to say. I’m kind of at a loss here. But… I’m sorry. Yeah… that’s all. I’m sorry. Uh… yeah. Bye.”

Alec swore as he hung up the phone.

He closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths, then rejoined his friends.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another short chapter for you guys...
> 
> The response to this story has been so completely overwhelming. Thank you everyone for reading, giving kudos, and writing comments.


	15. Chapter 15

Alec waited in the kitchen for a few more minutes, nervously pacing as he waited for Magnus to return his call. When he finally realized that that apparently wasn’t going to happen, he let out a sigh and returned to the living room… to everyone in the apartment staring at him. Jace and Izzy looked slightly guilty, Lydia looked uncomfortable, Simon looked confused, and Clary looked angry. And it was all directed right at him.

Alec nervously shuffled his feet and looked down, avoiding everyone’s gaze- he hated attention directed at him, especially when it was the _whole room_ paying attention to him. He preferred to be invisible.

Maybe that’s why he liked being around Magnus so much; Magnus shone and pulled focus anywhere they went. Alec could easily go unnoticed when Magnus was in the room.

Except for Magnus… Magnus had always noticed him. Magnus had picked him out of a crowd of incoming students, taken him by the hand, and singled him out to be his best friend. Magnus seemed to be the exception to the rule, though. And Alec actually liked it when Magnus paid attention to him. It made him feel special and safe and loved.

“...What?” Alec asked slowly, nervously.

“Simon just got an interesting text from Raphael,” Clary replied, her voice low and angry.

“Ok?” Alec asked, not sure what direction this was going in.

“You know how Raphael is with Magnus right now...” Clary continued.

Alec glanced over at Jace, who was avoiding looking at him now. Shit. This didn’t look good.

“What happened? Is it Magnus?” Alec asked, starting to panic. Maybe something had happened to Magnus and that’s why he wasn’t answering his phone. “Is he ok?”

“Alec… Raphael told me that Magnus said you guys were never dating. That it was all pretend,” Simon explained, slowly. “But… that doesn’t make any sense. Right?”

Alec bit his lip and looked away. The expressions on Izzy, Jace, and Lydia’s faces made sense now. Shit.

“He told you?” Alec asked, nervously. Alec was surprised that Magnus had confessed the truth to their friends. Magnus had been the one who wanted to keep this secret in the first place, so he didn’t understand why Magnus would confess now… Maybe because the ruse was over now? Or maybe because… Alec shook his head in confusion. He just didn’t know.

“Seriously!? It’s true?!” Clary screeched, jumping off the couch and running over to Alec to hit him over and over again with a pillow. “You lied about the whole thing!?”

"Ow! Stop hitting me!” Alec yelped, dodging from Clary. “It was Magnus' idea, not mine! Hit _him_!"

"Oh, I will. But you're just as stupid as Magnus and deserve just as much pain!" Clary yelled, still hitting him.

"Hey!" Alec exclaimed.

“Clary, enough,” Jace sighed. “Don’t you think he’s suffered enough already?”

Clary whirled around to face Jace, glaring daggers at him now. “Don’t even get me started on you! You knew! You knew this whole time and never said anything!”

“Why would you guys lie about this? Was it some kind of joke?” Simon asked, frowning down at his lap.

“No!” Alec exclaimed, feeling guilty that he had inadvertently hurt his friends with this lie, too. “It wasn’t like that at all!”

“Then what was it? Why would you lie to us? I thought we were friends!” Clary said, frowning at Alec.

“We are!” Alec defended himself. He had to explain himself. “We lied because-” Alec began.

“Because why?” Clary cut him off. “Because it was cruel? Because it would make us look like idiots? Because you guys are stupid enough to think that it would be fun? What, was it some kind of bet, to see how many people you could trick? Because you wanted to see how easy it is to lie to your friends-?”

“Because I love him! I did it because I love him, ok?” Alec yelled over Clary’s accusations.” I lied because Magnus asked me to and I would do anything for him. I lied because he needed me to and because I’m in love with him and I knew this was the closest I would ever get to the real thing. I know what we did was wrong and stupid and you guys feel betrayed right now, and I’m sorry. Really, I am.”

“Alec-” Izzy said softly, reaching out to him. Alec shook his head and took a step back.

“No, Izzy. This whole thing was a mistake. I knew deep down from the beginning that we shouldn’t have done it, and look at us now,” Alec continued. He knew that it was a risk, pretending at a relationship with Magnus. But he never could have guessed so many people would get hurt in the process. It had gone on for too long. It had gone too far. It was time to face the consequences of their actions, and work out how they would move forward from there.

“You only did what you thought was right,” Jace said, trying to reassure his best friend. “You’re only human, Alec.”  
Clary sighed and shook her head. “Alec… I’m not going to pretend to understand. And I’m not going to act like I’m not mad at you, because I’m really hurt that you lied. But… we know that you love Magnus- that much wasn’t a lie, right?”

Alec shook his head. Clary was right. Everything had been a lie… except for that. That was the one solid truth that Alec could still hold on to through it all. His love for Magnus was real. And Magnus deserved to know the truth.

“I can’t do this anymore,” Alec said, decisively. “I’m tired of lying and pretending and hiding from the truth.” He hurried across the room and grabbed his jacket, before slipping on his shoes, not even pausing long enough to tie the laces.

“Alec! Alec, wait, where are you going?” Izzy pleaded.

“I’m done. I’m done with all of this. I’m done running, I’m done hurting, and I’m done lying- especially to Magnus,” Alec said. He patted his pocket to make sure he had his keys, then made his way toward the front door.

“But-” Jace began.

“No, Jace. You guys are right. We shouldn’t have lied. We never wanted to hurt anyone. But we hurt ourselves more than we hurt you. I fucked up. I slept with my best friend and neglected to tell him how much he means to me and I ran from him. I’ll make things up to you guys, I promise, but I have to make things right with him first.”

“Wait… _that’s_ what this is all about? You and Magnus…” Simon asked, realization dawning on his face. “So it was real?”

“No. Maybe. I don’t know,” Alec sighed. “But I need to find out.”

“Go get him, Alec,” Jace said, smiling at him from across the room. Everyone else cheered in agreement, and Alec paused a brief moment to appreciate the fact that his friends were cheering him on in his pursuit of a guy- something he never could have imagined in the years before he came out. And he knew then that, no matter what happened in the future, he would be ok. He had amazing friends, he had support, and he had acceptance.

All he was missing was Magnus.

Alec nodded his head in determination, then turned and walked out the door. One step closer to Magnus.

 

* * *

 

Alec rushed out of Izzy’s apartment so quickly, he didn’t realize it was raining outside until it was too late. _Great._

Alec looked up at the sky, contemplating going back for an umbrella or waiting for the storm to pass. The rain falling into Alec’s eyes caused him to look back down, where he was holding his phone in his hand… he bit his lip as he took in his wallpaper background- a picture of him and Magnus, cheeks pressed together and smiling happily at the camera.

He shook his head. This couldn’t wait. He was ready. After years of hiding and lying to himself, and now lying to their friends and holding back and hurting one another with half-truths, he was ready to lay his heart on the line, for better or for worse. He had to do this. It was time.

Alec took off down the street, making the twenty minute walk back to his apartment in the pouring rain.

Alec walked in a half-jog, eager to get back to Magnus as quickly as possible, but also nervous about what was about to happen. He couldn’t put it off any longer, though. He was a nervous-wreck, but he was as ready as he would ever be.

But then a thought crossed his mind- what if Magnus didn’t want to see him? Magnus hadn’t answered the phone when he called earlier, and he had told Raphael that it was all a lie... maybe he said that because he was done with Alec. Or maybe he was ignoring Alec because he was angry at himself for lying and didn’t want to see Alec any more. Or maybe he regretted sleeping with Alec at all, and was too embarrassed to talk to him.

Alec anxiously dug his phone back out of his pocket and quickly dialed Magnus’ number, picking up his pace toward their apartments.

“Pick up… pick up, Magnus,” Alec barked into his phone.

He got voicemail.

Alec let out a growl and dialed Magnus’ number again.

It rang and rang and rang…. Voicemail again.

“Fuck!” Alec yelled, startling a woman walking down the street next to him. Alec sent her an apologetic smile and dialed Magnus’ number again. He refused to give up.

Alec held his breath as the phone began ringing again… he held back a gasp when he heard the line connect.

“Alexander,” Magnus greeted softly.

“Magnus,” Alec sighed in relief.

“What do you want, Alec?” Magnus asked, cutting straight to the point. He didn’t sound angry. He just sounded sad. God, Alec hated that Magnus was sad. And he knew it was all his fault. He had to make things right.

“To see you. To talk to you. I’m ready to talk now. I’m sorry. I’m sorry I’ve been such an idiot. I want to talk to you,” Alec said in rush, worried that Magnus would hang up or not want to hear it. He was greeted by silence.

Finally- “And if I don’t want to see you? If I don’t want to talk to you? If I want to give you the silent treatment like you’ve given me?” Magnus asked.

“I wouldn’t blame you,” Alec said simply. “It’s what I deserve.”

“It is,” Magnus agreed. “When will you be home?”

“I’m on my way now.”

“Ok. I’ll be there.”

“Wh- really?” Alec asked in disbelief. Magnus never ceased to surprise him. It was one of the things he loved about him.

“I never said I’d be happy about it. But you’re my best friend, fuck-ups included. I’ve made plenty of my own mistakes lately, too. And you’ve forgiven me for my fair-share of things in the past. I would be remiss to not do the same for you.”

“Thank you,” Alec choked. “Magnus, thank you so much. I’m so sorry.”

“I know,” Magnus sighed. “I’m sorry, too. But we’re talking tonight. Really talking. God, Alec, we have so much we need to talk about.”

“I know. We’ll talk... about _everything_. I promise,” Alec agreed. And he meant it. He would lay it all out on the table, and he knew Magnus would do the same. No more secrets. No more lies. No more. They needed to deal with the truth of what was happening between them, no matter what it was or how much pain it might bring. It was the only way they could move forward. It was the only way they had any chance of being them again- _AlecandMagnus_.

“I’m almost there. Are you home?” Alec asked, turning the corner onto their street.

“Yeah,” Magnus whispered, then took a deep, shaky breath. “Alec… are we going to be ok?”

Alec hurried up his pace, running through the pouring rain now in a rush to get to Magnus, to make up for all the mistakes he had made, to reassure him and promise him that they could get through anything.

In truth, Alec didn’t know if they would be ok, but he knew that he would fight his damnedest so that they would have a chance.

Alec ran into the apartment building and up the flights of stairs, dripping water through the building, water drops dripping from his lashes into his eyes, making it hard to see. He slipped a few times, his shoes squeaking as he raced up the stairs, but nothing could slow him down right now. He was still on the phone with Magnus, but neither of them were saying a word.

Magnus must have heard the door to the stairwell slamming open, because as soon as Alec stepped out of the stairwell and into the hall, Magnus was opening his front door, looking straight at him.

Magnus looked like a wreck. His eyes were red-rimmed, his clothes wrinkled and dirty, there were dark bags under his eyes, and his hair was lying limp over his forehead. Alec knew he didn’t look any better, especially now that he was dripping wet, his clothes clinging to him and his hair starting to curl from all the rain. They were both still holding their phones up to their ears as they stood at opposite ends of the hall, staring at one another in silence.

Alec silently began moving forward, taking quick steps toward Magnus, his heart feeling less empty with every step he took. Magnus began moving forward, too, the two men racing toward one another.

“Magnus,” Alec whimpered, and then they were collapsing into each other’s arms, holding on for dear life. Holding on to that which made them whole.

Alec didn’t know what the next few hours would hold. He didn’t know what would be revealed during their talk, or how they would even begin to work through everything they’d said and done. But in this moment, he knew it would all be worth it. As long as he had Magnus in his arms, everything would be ok.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Character growth and development YAY!
> 
> Sorry this chapter was a shorter one again. The last two chapters will be longer. Plus, I'll post the Magnus POV Extras when the final chapter goes up, so you'll have even more reading material to work through. 
> 
> Thank you again for all your comments and kudos! You guys have made me very, very happy.


	16. Chapter 16

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for being patient with me! Thank you for the comments, the kudos, the tweets, the messages on tumblr... seriously, you guys are just the nicest and my life is better for having you guys in it. Thank you!!!!!!

After holding one another in the hall for a few, long moments, re-familiarizing themselves with one another once more, Alec and Magnus eventually pulled apart and silently made their way into Magnus' apartment. It was time to talk- they'd put it off long enough.

Alec patted Chairman Meow on the head as he passed him, but the cat flicked his tail and strutted into the other room, ignoring him completely. Alec guessed he deserved that.

They made their way over to the couch, Alec sitting down first and Magnus laying down next to him, resting his head in Alec's lap, just like they'd always done. Alec felt relief and reassurance at the familiar gesture. He automatically began running his fingers through Magnus' hair, letting a small amount of his anxiety and worry go; Magnus couldn't be too mad at him, if he was curling up with him on the couch.

Magnus let out a sigh and closed his eyes. Alec tilted his head back, resting it against the back of the couch, letting his own eyes slip shut. He was exhausted, and knew Magnus likely wasn't in a much better state.

The silence stretched for long, endless minutes. He didn't know where to begin. There was so much they needed to say, and he had no idea where to start.

“I'm sorry,” Magnus finally murmured quietly.

“What?” Alec asked, jerking his head down to look at Magnus in confusion. “Why are you sorry?”

“I took advantage of you,” Magnus said, attempting to shrug while he was laying down. Alec would have found the movement adorable, if it were any other situation. “I made you freak out.”

“Magnus, no!” Alec exclaimed. “That's not what happened at all! How could you think that?”

“Well what else was I supposed to think?” Magnus snapped, his anger finally rising to the surface, causing his voice to shake. “You didn't exactly stick around the morning after to tell me what was going on in your head.” Magnus sat up, lifting his head from Alec's lap, and made to move to the other side of the couch. Alec reached out and grabbed his arm, trying to keep him close.

“Mags... no, it wasn't like that. I thought... I thought I had taken advantage of you. That you would regret it. Or that it was just a one-night stand. And I couldn't deal with that,” Alec explained. “I'm sorry. But don't you dare apologize. You did nothing wrong.”

“I did, though. I slept with you, without first communicating what that act meant to me, what it was meant to be between us. I shouldn't have done that,” Magnus sighed. “There's so much I should have told you first.”

“We were drunk,” Alec retorted. “Neither of us were thinking clearly.”

“I'm not just talking about sleeping with you, though,” Magnus sighed, then let out a groan and hung his head in his heads. “I-”

Magnus trailed off and Alec reached out to take his hand, squeezing it in reassurance. Magnus squeezed back, then intertwined their fingers so they were locked together, their hands fitting together perfectly, like they were made just to hold one another.

“Alec... I'm really fucking mad at you for running off and giving me the silent treatment, but I'm not exactly an innocent party either.”

Alec sat silently, waiting for Magnus to continue. Whatever it was Magnus wanted to say to him, to get off his chest; whether it be that they were done being friends, or that sleeping together was a mistake, or that Magnus regretted ever knowing him... Alec would hear him out. He owed Magnus that much.

“Did you really think it was a coincidence that I said your name? When Craig asked me who my boyfriend was, you were the first person to pop into my mind. Because I wanted you to be my boyfriend.”

Alec's breath caught in his throat. His heart skipped a beat, then picked up beating double time, threatening to burst out of his chest. This wasn't happening. Magnus couldn't... It just wasn't possible.

"Alec, when I first met you, I wanted you,” Magnus said simply, offering Alec a sad smile. “More than I've ever wanted anyone.”

Alec tightened his grip on Magnus' hand, holding on for dear life.

“But you were straight... or so you led everyone to believe, so I let that fantasy go. But then I got to know you as a friend, and I wanted you even more. And then, by some small miracle, it turned out you were gay. And I thought to myself ' _this is it. Finally we can be together._ ' But you still didn't make a move. You never indicated you were interested in me. You never asked me out. You never even flirted. So I knew once and for all that you would never want me the same way I wanted you."

"Mags, no- that's not..." Alec began to interrupt, but Magnus held up his free hand, silently asking Alec to let him continue. Alec bit his lip, but nodded his head, allowing Magnus to finish saying what he needed to get off his chest.

"Every broken heart.... every single one... was for you. Every time I got dumped, it was because they realized my heart could never belong to them, because I'd already given it to you. And every time I got dumped, my heart broke not because of the loss of a lover, but because I realized that no matter how hard I tried, I could never get over you. I would always be in love with you."

Alec couldn't breathe. This was actually happening. Magnus was in love with him. Magnus was in love with him, and always had been, and truly had no idea that Alec felt the same.

“Magnus, I've-”

“But why would you love me, back?” Magnus continued, speaking over Alec. “I'm nothing but drama and trouble, and you're always having to come to my rescue. I mean, I was desperate enough to say your name when Craig asked me if I had a boyfriend. Because, in my mind, it's always been you. And instead of setting things straight and stopping the rumors right then and there, I chose to drag you into this insane scheme for entirely selfish reasons. I knew it wouldn't end well, and I knew it wasn't real, but I just wanted to try, even if it was pretend. I wanted to experience _being_ with you. And being with you these past few weeks... it was incredible. God, I loved getting a taste of what being your boyfriend would be like. I loved every second of it, but it wasn't real. And when we slept together, I thought... maybe... maybe he _does_ love me back. But then you ran. Because of course you don't love me back. I'm too much work. I've tried and tried to move on. I've flirted and dated and tried to find love for years, but it was always you, Alec. It will always be you.”

“I love you, too!” Alec finally exclaimed. He'd heard enough. How could beautiful, wonderful, funny, amazing Magnus think that he wasn't worthy of love? No- Magnus was... he was everything. And Alec vowed then and there that he would never let Magnus doubt that again.

Alec smiled softly at Magnus' amazed, wide-eyed look. He squeezed his hand in his own, then brought it up to his lips to press a kiss to the back of his hand.

"I love coming to your rescue. I love getting you out of trouble. I love your drama and the way you liven things up and how you keep my life interesting. Magnus, you're perfect for me in every way and I've been in love with you since I met you. I came out because of how brave you are. And after I came out and you didn't make a move, I thought..." Alec shrugged. Magnus would understand. They'd apparently been thinking the same thing for years, waiting for the other person to make a move first, so they wouldn't overstep and ruin the friendship they'd worked so hard to build.

Because Alec cherished Magnus' friendship more than anyone else in the world. And he would fight to protect that friendship until the day he died. Only now, he had something even more precious worth protecting.

"We're idiots," Magnus said quietly, a soft, but brilliant smile gracing his face. Magnus reached his free hand up and cupped Alec's cheek gently, his thumb brushing over the stubble on his chin and jawline.

And Alec really and truly felt like an idiot. He knew better than anyone that Magnus wasn't as confident as he liked people to think. Magnus was a complex human being who was filled with self-doubt and needed reassurance, just like anyone else. And Alec had always been the one to give that to him. But he was so afraid of rejection and of ruining their tight bond, that he had never let on his true feelings for him. He had kept it bottled up and hadn't given Magnus any indication that he was in love with him. He hadn't reassured or encouraged Magnus. He hadn't let him know that what they were feeling was ok... _more_ than ok, that Magnus could love him, and he would love him in return. This whole time, Magnus had been in love with him, too, and if he had just given him the reassurance he needed- if he had just let him know that it was ok, they could have been together.

But it wasn't too late to make things right. They could still have forever together. No more bottling it up inside. No more hiding. He would be completely honest with Magnus, because he knew that Magnus would love him no matter what, and would be honest with him too, in return.

"Idiots who love each other," Alec replied with a grin, his own hand rising to wrap around Magnus', where it still rested against his cheek.

"We should probably work on our communication skills..." Magnus smirked, his eyes flickering down to Alec's lips.

"I know a great place to start," Alec said, then pulled Magnus into a kiss.

Magnus smiled into the kiss, causing Alec to let out a small chuckle. He was so unbelievably happy and at peace. They still had so much they needed to talk about, but the big thing they'd been concealing for so long was finally out in the open.

Alec loved Magnus, and Magnus loved him in return. It was everything he had never even dreamed could happen. He was kissing Magnus, and they both knew what it meant now; they knew the real feeling behind that kiss. They both meant every second of it.

Alec's heart was soaring.

He reached down and grabbed the hem of Magnus' shirt, tugging on it. Magnus took the cue and lifted his arms, allowing Alec to pull it off, over his head.

“You're gorgeous,” Alec murmured softly, reveling in the fact that he could finally say the words out loud. That Magnus could know exactly what he thought of him.

“You're not so bad yourself,” Magnus replied, smirking at Alec. Alec blushed and smiled down at his feet. He saw Magnus' hands reach out and tug at his shirt, and Alec easily let Magnus pull it off of him.

The second his shirt was off, Alec swept back in for another kiss, unable to resist now that he had permission to kiss Magnus all he wanted. Their bare chests rubbed together, skin against skin, earning a groan from Alec.

This time, it was Magnus who chuckled into the kiss. “You have no idea how hard it's been to resist you.”

“I think I have an idea,” Alec replied, nipping playfully at Magnus' bottom lip.

“Is this really happening? You really love me?” Magnus asked, smiling in disbelief. Alec smiled back at him, biting his lip to keep his smile under control- his smile was threatening to take over his face and make him look like a crazy person.

Alec replied to Magnus' question with another kiss, licking teasingly at Magnus' lips, who easily opened up for him.

Alec suddenly jerked back, though, as he felt something soft and furry rub against his leg, and he remembered where they were.

“Chairman Meow!” Alec yelped in a panic, grabbing his shirt to cover his chest.

Magnus laughed loudly, doubling over and clutching his stomach. Alec scowled at him.

“Come here,” Magnus finally replied when he was able to stop laughing. He reached out and took Alec's hand, tugging him into the bedroom. Alec surveyed the room to make sure the cat hadn't followed them, and when he didn't see Chairman Meow anywhere, he relaxed and quickly shut the door behind them, making sure the cat wouldn't get in and interrupt them again.

“I can't let him watch me defile his father,” Alec explained, smiling at Magnus. Magnus rolled his eyes fondly and pulled Alec back in for another kiss.

“I love you so much,” Magnus said as they broke the kiss, parting only so they could gasp for breath.

“I love you, too,” Alec replied, easily. And it really was just that easy. They were _AlecandMagnus_ again. They were best friends, partners in crime, boyfriends, lovers... they were together, and they were going to be more than ok.

“Show me,” Magnus teased, tugging Alec closer by his belt loops, so their hips were flush together.

Alec shivered, his whole body reacting to Magnus' touch. He still felt like he was dreaming... it was all just too good to be true. But Magnus was real. He was standing right there in front of him, and he loved him.

Alec dove back in for another kiss, this one messier and passionate and heated, all tongue and biting kisses, both of them desperate to explore one another fully. Magnus' hands ran up and down Alec's back, fingertips brushing against his spine, his hips, his shoulders, each touch leaving a spark of electricity in it's wake. Alec grabbed Magnus' hips, squeezing them, his thumbs pressing sensually against the v that so gorgeously defined Magnus' stomach and abs, his fingers brushing through the hair leading down his navel.

Alec groaned into the kiss, his fingers dipping lower to unbutton Magnus' pants, needing to be closer. Needing more. Needing to show Magnus just how real this was, to make him feel how real this was... to make Magnus realize just how much he loved him and wanted him.

He tugged the pants down, down Magnus' hips, past his thighs. Magnus stepped out of the pants and kicked them to the side before he tugged on Alec's jeans in return. Alec released his hold on Magnus to help him tug his jeans off, hurriedly kicking them off, not caring where they landed.

Magnus' hands immediately dropped to Alec's ass, squeezing his cheeks and tugging him closer so their hard cocks brushed together, skin against skin. They both let out groans at the contact.

“Fuck,” Alec cursed, his arms automatically wrapping around Magnus again to hold him tight, his head dropping to Magnus' shoulder, where he bit at the bare skin, wanting to taste Magnus.

Magnus began backing them up toward the bed, the backs of Magnus' knees hitting the frame and causing them to collapse together onto the mattress, Alec landing on top of Magnus. Magnus looked ethereal against the satin sheets, his hair spreading around his head on the pillow like a halo, his skin glowing with a light sheen of sweat. Alec had no idea how he had gotten so lucky- his lover was the most beautiful man in the world, the most loving and kind and funny man he'd ever met, his best friend...

Alec brushed the palm of his hand against Magnus' cheek, staring down at him reverently, trying to memorize this moment... just the two of them in love, together in every sense of the word. Magnus stared right back at him, and for the first time in their lives, they were completely open with one another, laying their bodies and hearts bare.

Magnus finally broke the stare, turning his head to brush a kiss to the center of Alec's palm.

Alec closed his eyes, love and contentment and a feeling of rightness coursing through him.

“Is this real?” Magnus asked again in a whisper. Alec was glad he wasn't the only one who was overwhelmed by finally having what he had wanted for so long.

“Yes,” Alec whispered in reply. “It's real. I love you.”

“I love you,” Magnus echoed.

They couldn't say it enough. They couldn't hear it enough. Alec knew they were being cheesy and sentimental and mushy, and he would probably feel embarrassed the next morning by how emotional he was acting, but after years of keeping his feelings a secret, it felt so good to finally have it out in the open. They had treated one another with love and affection for years, but to finally say the words, to have it tangible and real and existing in front of them... it was _everything_.

Alec shifted his weight off of Magnus as his lover sat up, leaning over to his bedside table to ruffle through the drawer for lube and condoms. Alec admired the way the muscles in Magnus' back shifted and stretched as Magnus bent over, rummaging through the drawers.

Magnus finally rolled back over, depositing the condom and lube on the bed next to him, and raised an eyebrow at Alec when he caught him openly staring at him.

“Like what you see?” Magnus asked, teasingly.

“You have no idea,” Alec groaned, leaning down to press a kiss to Magnus' neck, chest, shoulder. Magnus chuckled fondly, his laugh cut off with a groan as Alec pressed a kiss to his nipple. Alec stored that knowledge away for future reference.

“So, top or bottom?” Magnus asked as Alec peppered kisses against his skin.

Alec raised an eyebrow at Magnus, looking up at him through his dark eyelashes while he propped his arms up on either side of Magnus, to keep his weight from crushing the man under him.

“What?” Magnus asked, defensively. “This is crucial information!”

Alec rolled his eyes fondly. He should have known sex with his best friend wouldn't be like sex with anyone else. Things would be easy between them because they were so comfortable with one another. They were passionate and attracted to one another, for sure, but they also had a sense of comfort and familiarity about them, that only came from knowing one another for so many years. They would be able to talk and laugh and joke, and fully enjoy sex for all its awkwardness and messiness, in addition to how amazing it could be.

The last time they slept together, they had been drunk. There hadn't been any time for questions or to talk about what they were doing. They were riding on a wave of passion, desperate to give in to what they'd wanted for so long. Now, though, they had all the time in the world. They had the rest of their lives together.

“I like both,” Alec shrugged.

“Good answer,” Magnus grinned. “Me too. This time, though... I need you inside of me.”

Alec groaned and jerked his hips against Magnus', their hard cocks grinding together.

“You're going to be the death of me,” Alec sighed, still rolling his hips against Magnus' firm, toned body.

“You like that?” Magnus asked teasingly. “You like me telling you just how I want you? How I want to feel your huge cock inside of me, stretching me open, pounding into me?”

“Oh my god,” Alec groaned, his head falling against Magnus' shoulder as his hips gave a jerk. “Unless you want this to be over before it even starts, you need to shut up.”

Magnus laughed happily, pressing a kiss to Alec's hair, his hand reaching up to run his fingers through Alec's dark locks.

“I'll behave,” Magnus promised.

“You better,” Alec chided, unable to hold back a smile.

Alec reached over and grabbed the bottle of lube off the bed and coated his fingers in it, ready to stretch Magnus open. While Alec warmed the lube up between his fingers, Magnus grabbed a pillow off the bed, pushing it under his hips to give Alec easier access.

Alec reached his fingers between them, stroking the tender skin along Magnus' thighs, balls, ass, finally pressing a finger inside.

Magnus let out a breathy groan and pushed back against Alec's finger, urging him further inside. Alec leaned up to press a kiss to Magnus' lips as he slowly worked on preparing him, stretching him open. Even though they were both dying to be together, Alec wanted to take his time, to explore Magnus and show him just how much he loved and cherished him.

He peppered kisses across Magnus' face, mouth, neck, chest, all the while stretching Magnus open with one finger, then two, then three.

“You're gorgeous,” Alec repeated his words from earlier, murmuring the compliment into Magnus' neck before biting down, sucking a bruise onto the skin. Magnus groaned and tilted his head back, his hips thrusting up, causing their hard cocks rubbing together.

Alec finally pulled his fingers out and reached next to them on the bed for a condom. He couldn't wait to be connected to Magnus in every way again, for this to be an act of love and passion between them, with everything finally out and in the open.

After putting on the condom, Alec positioned himself at Magnus' entrance. Magnus wrapped his legs around Alec's back, pulling him in closer, eager for him to be inside.

Alec slowly pushed inside of Magnus' entrance, groaning at the incredible sensation of being totally connected to Magnus- heart, body, and soul. Magnus' eyes fluttered shut and he threw his head back, panting loudly. Alec slowly pulled out, before rolling his hips to ease himself back inside, going slower than the night they first slept together. Tonight wasn't about desperation. It wasn't about lust, or the physical act of sex... it was about making love. It was about finally opening up to one another and accepting the other and loving the other, for all of their little imperfections and mistakes. It was about forgiveness and acceptance and happiness and new beginnings.

Magnus clung to Alec, his arms wrapped tightly around his shoulders and his legs still hooked behind his back, keeping him close. Alec leaned over and met Magnus halfway in a passionate kiss as they moved together, a steady, easy flow of in and out, each drag inside of Magnus bringing them both closer to completion.

It could have been seconds or minutes or hours later... Alec lost track of all sense of time, so lost was he in the act of making love to Magnus. But eventually, he felt himself drawing closer to the end, ready to let himself go.

“Magnus,” Alec murmured quietly, his lips brushing against Magnus'. They were face to face, staring at one another and kissing gently as they moved together- it was the most open and intimate either of them had ever been with another person, and it was one of the most amazing experiences of Alec's life.

Magnus seemed to understand what Alec was saying, and he nodded his head before reaching a hand down between them to help stroke himself to the finish.

Alec sped up his thrusts, each push inside of Magnus becoming more erratic as he felt himself losing control.

Suddenly, Magnus let out a whimper, followed by a long groan as he threw his head back, his hips rising up off the bed and his back arching as he orgasmed, clenching his ass around Alec's cock.

He was so beautiful.

Alec ran a hand through Magnus' hair, murmuring soft endearments and loving words as he talked him through the high, his thrusts still going faster and faster, his own orgasm drawing closer with each drag of his cock.

The sight of Magnus coming was enough to send Alec over the edge a few seconds later, groaning into Magnus' neck as he pushed inside his lover as deep as he could go, his hips jerking with his orgasm, his vision going black as his eyes rolled into the back of his head.

As he finally came back to himself, breathing heavily as he tried to catch his breath, he felt Magnus' hands soothing gently down his back, caressing him lovingly.

Alec gently laid down on top of Magnus, careful to keep his full weight off of him, as they both took a minute to catch their breath and enjoy this moment of perfect happiness together. Alec rested his head against Magnus' chest and listened to his racing heartbeat, enjoying the feeling of Magnus' hands still rubbing softly against his bare skin.

Alec lost track of time again as they laid together in silence, holding one another. But, eventually, he couldn't ignore the feeling of Magnus' cum drying uncomfortably between them on their stomachs, sticking them together.

Alec let out a sigh and rolled over, sitting up so he could grab something to clean them up with before bed. He didn't have the energy for a shower, but he supposed they could just shower together in the morning. For now, he just needed something to wipe them down.

“Stay,” Magnus said softly, half-asleep as he reached out to grab onto Alec's arm, trying to keep him in bed.

“I'm just getting a washcloth to clean us off,” Alec reassured, pressing a kiss to Magnus' temple before getting out of bed and making his way to Magnus' bathroom. He left the door open as he left the bedroom, finally allowing Chairman Meow inside. The cat rubbed against Alec's leg in an act of forgiveness before he strutted into the bedroom and jumped onto the bed, curling up in a ball at Magnus' feet.

Alec chuckled fondly to himself and grabbed a washcloth, running it under water before quickly returning to the bed... back to Magnus.

“You'll stay?” Magnus asked quietly, nervously, as Alec crawled back into bed, leaning over Magnus to tenderly wiped him clean, gently massaging the cloth against Magnus' stomach and chest.

“I'll stay,” Alec promised. He threw the washcloth off to the side and snuggled up next to Magnus in bed, wrapping him firmly in his arms. Magnus cuddled closer, nuzzling his face into the crook of Alec's neck, his warm breaths tickling Alec's skin.

Alec let the warmth of Magnus in his arms, the contentment of amazing sex, and the feeling of rightness help ease him to sleep. He was finally home, right where he belonged: with Magnus in his arms and their cat soundly sleeping at the foot of the bed.

All of Alec's concerns and worries from the previous weeks were gone, because now he and Magnus were together, and he knew that everything was going to be just fine.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter!!!
> 
> As a reminder, I'll be posting a series of extras from Magnus' POV at the same time the last chapter goes up. I'll link you guys to it in the notes of the last chapter.
> 
> So you can have even more to look forward to, I'll give you guys a little insight as to which chapters you'll get to see from Magnus' POV...
> 
> Prologue, Chapter 4 missing scene, Chapter 4 Malec sleepover, Chapter 6 "flirting with Lindsay" scene, Chapter 6-7 missing scene, Chapter 9 dance scene, Chapter 10 first kiss scene, Chapter 13-14 missing scene, and Chapter 17 missing scene.


	17. Chapter 17

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really going to miss this story... thank you guys for reading!

**“They think I'm insane, they think my lover is strange, but I don't have to fucking tell them anything.”  
Halsey - Strange Love**

Alec awoke the next morning to a warm body wrapped in his arms, soft breaths brushing against his neck, and hair tickling his cheek.

The night before came rushing back to him all at once, and Alec smiled as he squeezed the body, which he now remembered was Magnus, even closer.

Last night had really happened. He and Magnus... Alec’s smile grew and he pressed a kiss to the top of Magnus’ head, causing his lover to stir in his arms.

“Sorry- I didn’t mean to wake you,” Alec murmured quietly, brushing his fingers softly down Magnus’ naked back.

“It’s ok,” Magnus said quietly, his voice still rough from sleep. Magnus sleepily opened his eyes and tilted his head back to look at Alec, as if assessing that it was really him, that he was really still there... or like he was waiting for Alec to panic and run.

Alec tilted his head down and captured Magnus’ lips in a soft and tender kiss, attempting to convey all of his love without words, to reassure Magnus that this was real and that he wasn’t going anywhere.

Magnus was the first to pull back from the kiss, his lips quirked in a smirk. “Well, that answers that question,” he quipped.

“What question?”

“If you regretted it,” Magnus said with a shrug.

“Never,” Alec reassured. He felt horrible that he’d caused Magnus to doubt him, doubt them when he ran away before. He swore he would never do that again. He would make sure Magnus knew just how much he wanted to be there- how much he wanted him. “We still have a lot to talk about.”

Magnus sighed and nodded his head. “Coffee first,” he murmured, slowly sitting up, as if he hated that he had to leave Alec’s arms.

Alec pressed a kiss to Magnus’ shoulder, then rolled out of bed, his boyfriend and boyfriend’s cat trailing after him into the kitchen.

Magnus stood behind Alec in the kitchen while he waited for their coffee to brew, his arms wrapped around Alec’s stomach from behind, his chin resting on Alec’s shoulder.

Alec loved the domesticity of it all. It felt _right_. Waking up with Magnus, having coffee together, holding one another in the quiet early morning hours, just being together… it all felt so perfect, like everything had finally slotted together and they’d found that one last missing piece of the puzzle, and now they had a brilliant, completed picture to admire and be proud of. Before they’d found that last piece of the puzzle, they weren’t sure what the end result would be, but now it was complete and they could see everything with perfect clarity.

Alec rested his own hands on top of Magnus’ and leaned back into the firm body behind him. They’d had countless mornings together throughout college and beyond- it wasn’t uncommon for one of them to crash at the other’s apartment… but _this_. This ease and comfort… it was familiar, yet new, all at once. They had always felt comfortable and relaxed around one another, but now… this was what had always been missing between them.

“So… you’re in love with me?” Magnus said, his voice unsure as Alec handed him his coffee. Alec was so unused to seeing Magnus so nervous. He knew that Magnus had doubts and confidence issues sometimes, just like anyone else, but it always threw him for a loop when he saw it firsthand.

“Yes.”

“And I’m in love with you,” Magnus stated.

“Apparently,” Alec agreed, leaning over to press a kiss to Magnus’ temple, just because he could.

“And last night we slept together and neither of us regrets it or is planning on running away.”

“Looks that way,” Alec quipped, causing the tension in Magnus’ shoulders to ease, a small smile appearing on his lips.

“I think this just may be the most ridiculous situation we’ve ever gotten ourselves into,” Magnus sighed, shaking his head fondly.

“Even more so than Peru?” Alec asked incredulously.

“Definitely.”

Alec smiled warmly at Magnus and grabbed the coffee out of Magnus’ hands, setting the mug on the counter so he could tug his boyfriend into a hug, wanting to hold him close.

“This is crazy,” he whispered.

“Completely crazy,” Magnus agreed.

“I’m happy.”

“Me, too.”

They both laughed, still holding one another in their arms.

“So… you had less than honorable reasons for asking me to pretend to be your boyfriend, huh?” Alec asked, leaning back from the hug to raise an eyebrow at Magnus.

Magnus blushed, looking down at his feet. “I may have wanted you to see what an amazing boyfriend I could be,” he said sheepishly.

“And I may or may not have accepted for the exact same reason,” Alec confessed. They were such idiots. No wonder their friends were so fed up with them.

“So we’re really boyfriends now?” Magnus asked.

“Yeah. We really are.”

“Good.”

Alec leaned down and kissed Magnus softly, teasing his bottom lip with his tongue. This kiss was slow and exploratory- all of the urgency gone now that they knew they had many more kisses in their future.

“So that night we were dancing…?” Magnus asked, pulling away from the kiss.

“I was trying to stop myself from jumping you right there in club,” Alec explained, laughing, then leaned in for another short peck.

“And when you kissed me at the diner?”

“You’re beautiful when you laugh,” Alec said simply, caressing Magnus’ cheek with the palm of his hand, rubbing his thumb against the stubble on Magnus’ jaw. “What about you? You kissed me at the diner, too.”

“I liked the first kiss and wanted another,” Magnus explained, smirking.

“And you were the one to start dancing with me in the first place!” Alec remembered, pointing an accusing finger at Magnus.

Magnus shrugged. “You looked hot.”

Alec and Magnus grinned goofily at one another, feeling ridiculous for how they’d been acting the past few weeks, dancing around one another. They also felt high for finally being able to be honest with one another.

“Oh my god,” Magnus suddenly exclaimed, his smile brightening even more.

“What?”

“Oh my god!” Magnus yelled again.

“What?!” Alec asked again in frustration.

“You were jealous! With Craig, and that waitress, too… whatever her name was. I can’t believe I didn’t realize! You, Alexander Lightwood, were jealous, because you wanted to be my boyfriend!” Magnus exclaimed in delight.

“Shut up,” Alec mumbled, his cheeks reddening.

“Oh my god, I can’t believe this.”

“Mags,” Alec whined, his head falling back, staring up at the ceiling in embarrassment.

“You’re possessive. I can’t believe that Alexander Lightwood is the jealous and possessive type,” Magnus declared.

Alec rolled his eyes and grabbed the back of Magnus’ neck, pulling him in for a kiss to shut him up.

“You know, everyone tried to tell me that you loved me back,” Alec said as he parted from the kiss.

“Yeah, me too. But I didn’t believe them,” Magnus sighed.

“Me neither.”

“Do you believe them now?” Magnus asked teasingly, nipping playfully at Alec’s bottom lip.

“I’m starting to come around to the idea,” Alec joked.

“See… I don’t know. I think I might need a bit more proof,” Magnus said, glancing down at Alec’s lips with a playful smirk.

Alec grinned- that was definitely something he could help out with. Alec pulled Magnus back in for another long, heated kiss, pouring all of the passion and lust and love he felt for Magnus into it, which Magnus returned in kind. Magnus wrapped his arms around Alec and they stumbled together back into the bedroom.

 

* * *

 

A few hours later, Alec stirred awake for the second time that day, still naked and still completely sated, his arms wrapped around Magnus’ waist. He could definitely get used to waking up like this.

Magnus was already awake, sitting back against the headboard, one hand playing with Alec’s hair while he held a book in his other hand, reading silently while he waited for Alec to wake.

“What’re you reading?” Alec asked sleepily, his fingers tracing patterns over Magnus’ stomach.

Magnus looked down as he realized Alec was finally awake. He smiled and set the book aside, moving his now free hand down to Alec’s chin, tilting his head up for a kiss.

“Nothing important,” Magnus replied, his lips brushing Alec’s as he spoke.

Alec sat up in bed, his own back resting against the headboard now, his bare shoulder brushing against Magnus’.

“This feels right,” he murmured quietly.

Magnus looked over at Alec and smiled at him, nodding his head in agreement. “Yeah. It does.”

Alec returned Magnus’ smile and reached down between them to take Magnus’ hand in his own, rubbing his thumb over Magnus’ knuckles.

"So, now that we've got the whole pretend relationship drama cleared up, what's your next crazy scheme going to be?" Alec asked.

"Whatever do you mean?" Magnus asked, feigning innocence.

"I'll have to come to your rescue again sooner or later- don't even deny it. I just thought it'd be nice to have a little heads up this time."

"Hmm.... I suppose we could always tell our friends that we're married," Magnus teased.

"Or, we could actually get married," Alec replied, without missing a beat. Magnus froze and stared at Alec in disbelief. Alec smirked at his boyfriend in response. He loved catching Magnus off-guard, and he knew Magnus loved it, too.

"Wha- Alec, are you serious?" Magnus asked, breathless.

"Yeah," Alec shrugged. And he really was. Magnus was it for him. There would never be anyone else. And he was always his best self when he was with Magnus. He loved him, and now that it was all out in the open, why not take that next step together? He didn’t want to wait. He’d done enough waiting already.

Magnus stared silently at Alec for a few more seconds, as if trying to make sense of it all, before he finally lunged at Alec, pinning him down to the bed beneath him. "That was the worst proposal in all of history!" Magnus exclaimed, smacking Alec against the chest with a pillow, before grabbing him behind the neck and pulling him up into a kiss.

"Is that a yes?" Alec asked in amusement when they parted from the kiss.

"Of course it's a yes!"

Alec laughed happily and kissed Magnus again, before hurrying to get out of bed.

“Alec! Where are you going?” Magnus asked in confusion.

“City hall,” Alec shrugged. “You coming, or am I going to have to get married by myself?” Alec teased.

Magnus’ eyes widened before he quickly scrambled to get out of bed.

“You’re crazy,” Magnus exclaimed as he hurried to get dressed next to Alec.

“Says the man going along with my crazy scheme,” Alec said with a wink.

“I can’t believe I’m marrying you,” Magnus teased.

“Me neither,” Alec admitted, earning a kiss from Magnus, their pants tugged on but not zipped, and both men still shirtless.

“I love you,” Magnus murmured softly.

“I love you, too,” Alec replied.

“Let’s go get married.”

 

* * *

 

Both men stayed locked away in Magnus’ apartment for the next two days, making love, talking about anything and everything, laughing, watching movies, and just enjoying one another’s company. They knew their friends would demand that they have a “proper” wedding ceremony at some point, so they’d decided they’d take an actual honeymoon then. In the meantime, though, they turned off their phones (after Alec texted Izzy letting her know that he and Magnus were both alive and well and would be in touch soon) and simply enjoyed being together.

Finally, Friday night came around, and Alec and Magnus knew that it was time to go outside again and face their friends and confess what they’d done. Magnus was excited to see their reactions, and Alec was nervous, but both of them were unbelievably happy.

When they entered the bar hand in hand, they were met with catcalls and cheers from their friends, a complete re-enactment of the first time they told everyone that they were together. Except this time, it was actually real.

Magnus bowed playfully while Alec blushed a deep red, still unused to being the center of attention. He tugged Magnus over to the table with their friends, glaring at them in an attempt to get them all to shut up.

“So, just to confirm- this is real now? Like, really real?” Clary asked, while their friends looked on in eager anticipation.

Alec smiled to himself and shook his head fondly. They hadn’t even told any of their friends that they’d worked it out, but he supposed their silence and disappearance from the outside world for a few days spoke for itself.

“This is really really real,” Magnus confirmed, nodding his head, before leaning over to press a kiss to Alec’s cheek. “We are happily in love.”

“About time!” Jace exclaimed, clapping enthusiastically while the rest of their friends cheered again.

“Drinks on me!” Ragnor said, banging his fist on the table before motioning to the bartender for another round.

“Actually- before we drink, there’s something Alec and I would like to announce.”

“Oh my god, you’re pregnant,” Simon exclaimed, earning a smack on the arm from Raphael.

“No, we’re not… but not for lack of trying,” Magnus said, winking at their friends. Alec blushed a deep red and scowled at Magnus when this earned another loud cheer from their friends.

“The truth is…” Alec started, then bit his lip nervously while Magnus nodded his head, urging Alec on.

“We’re married,” Alec announced, finally releasing Magnus’ hand to show off the gold band on his ring finger. Magnus held his hand up, too, showing off his matching ring.

They were met by silence.

Alec looked at Magnus in confusion- this was definitely not the response they had been expecting. Alec figured Jace would spray them with a bottle of champagne while Clary and Catarina jumped around the bar screaming, and Simon and Izzy would tackle them in a hug while Ragnor and Raphael and Lydia gave them pats on the back in congratulations. But instead, the whole table fell silent.

“Um…” Alec began in confusion.

“I don’t think you understand… so we’ll try again. We’re married!” Magnus said happily, waving his left hand around to show off the ring.

“Guys, that’s not funny,” Clary sighed, shaking her hand.

“Seriously- it’s too soon man,” Simon agreed.

“You’re really going to try to fake a relationship again?” Jace added on, his voice dripping with disdain and disappointment.

“You guys just finished pretending to be dating, and now you’re going to pretend to be married?” Catarina asked in confusion.

“No, you guys… we’re actually married,” Alec explained.

“We went to the courthouse and exchanged rings and everything,” Magnus added on.

Their friends fell silent again, as if waiting for the punch line.

Alec had expected that they would be skeptical, but this was just ridiculous. Luckily, he had come prepared. He sighed and reached into his back pocket for a copy of their marriage certificate.

He tossed the folded paper onto the table, then leaned back and crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow at his friends as he waited for someone to take the document and read it.

“Go ahead,” he said, nodding his head toward the legal document. Magnus smirked and wrapped an arm around Alec, both of them watching silently as Izzy reached out and snatched the paper off the table, unfolding it to read it. Their friends hurried to lean over Izzy’s shoulder, trying to see what the paper said.

Chaos erupted all at once.

“OH MY GOD!!!!!”

“Are you serious, right now?!”

“CONGRATULATIONS!”

“This is crazy! I can’t believe it!”

“You got married without me there?!”

“Guys!” Alec yelled over them, waving his arms to get them to settle down. “Not all at once! Yes, it’s real. Yes, we’re serious.”

“We’re going to have another ceremony, and we want you all to be there,” Magnus added on, smiling as he tugged Alec even closer against his side.

That made all of their friends calm down, at least a little… as they all began excitedly planning the wedding ceremony. Alec turned his head to press a kiss to Magnus’ lips, both of them smiling.

Izzy and Jace broke away from the group, Jace to congratulate Alec and pull him into a hug- and if his eyes were a little watery… well, Alec would never say anything about it, while Izzy squealed as she looked at the ring on Magnus’ finger, demanding that he tell her all of the details of their shotgun wedding.

Alec caught Magnus’ eye over their friends heads, and he smiled at him. Their friends were freaking out and cheering and drinking and he and Magnus were together and it was all one hundred percent real and chaotic and beautiful and crazy and honestly, Alec wouldn’t have it any other way.

He and Magnus were in love. He and Magnus were together. He and Magnus were forever.

 

**The End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I can't believe it's really over. I LOVED writing this story. It was honestly so much fun to write, and I loved reading all of your comments and seeing your responses to this story. Thank you guys for being a part of this and for reading it all the way through! 
> 
> There's more to the story.... read 8 chapters of Strange Love from Magnus' POV [HERE!!!!!](http://archiveofourown.org/works/7521301/chapters/17095729)


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